Malum Carmen
by swirlheart
Summary: Just when you thought controlling an inner Hollow couldn't get any worse, someone shows up who can not only summon it, but control it as well. Ichigo's not going to have fun with this. OCs are in it  bad guys  Trying something new so no flames please. R
1. Chapter 1

I do NOT own or claim to own Bleach. That right goes to Tite. (lucky) However, I did add three new characters. See if you can guess which ones. ^-^

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Chapter 1:

"As you all know, we're having our annual festival next week and it's mandatory that you all participate. So please take part and have fun with it!"

His teacher couldn't have made things any worse for him than she already had with that announcement. Ichigo already had to deal with all the Hollows that have been showing up, plus deal with all the souls popping up all over the place and business in the Soul Society. He barely had enough time for school work. Not to mention the fact that this was a festival, meaning that his family would show up, no doubt. He wasn't embarrassed of his sisters. It was his father who was the problem. Not only that, but his group had to come up with an idea. The class had been divided up three parts to make the most out of the festival. Ichigo, Chad, Orihime, Uryu, Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro were a team. Their break time was spent coming up with ideas for what they were going to do.

After an afternoon of thinking, Orihime had an idea.

X

"What? A bake sale?" Yuzu asked when Ichigo arrived home.

"Yeah, it was Orihime's idea. I sorta went along with it. We ran it by the teacher and she says it's a good idea. No one else is doing it yet."

"That sounds awesome! Are you going to be making anything, Ichigo?"

He shrugged, sitting down at the table. "I don't know. I never really baked anything before. I wouldn't know where to start."

"Can't go wrong with cupcakes! They're light and fluffy if you make them right and they're easy to carry around. If they're super good, you'll sell lots!" It seemed that Yuzu was more pumped up for this than Ichigo and she didn't even go to his school.

"Did you want to make something, Yuzu?"

Her face lit up but she looked a bit surprised. "What? Me? Really?"

"You're not getting out of it that easy, Ichigo!" His father suddenly appeared behind him and kicked him in the head. "No son of mine is going to let his little sister do all the work for him for his school's bake sale."

Ichigo griped the table for balance and delivered a swift sideward kick to his father's face. "Shut up. You don't know anything about it."

"It's your school, your team, your project and you're making your baby sister do all the work when she's not even involved! How can you call yourself a-"

Ichigo kicked him in the jaw, shutting him up. "Hey, some people in our group can't cook so you're asking their family members to help out. There's no rule against that. Besides, my job is to sell the stuff. Nothing says that I have to be the one to cook it. And the more we have, the more we can sell. I was just asking her. I'm not forcing anyone to do it if they don't want to."

Yuzu held up her bowl and donned her apron. "I'm willing and able! Just leave it to me!"

X

"So what are you making, Ichigo?" Orihime asked the next day during class. Their teacher had given them the afternoon to work on their projects since many students still didn't have any ideas.

"My sister's going to be making some chocolate cupcakes, she says."

"Aw, you're not making anything yourself?"

He shrugged. "I'm helping her so my dad will shut up about how I'm making her to all the work by herself. I've already started baking some test ones. I burned half of them but the others came out ok."

"Are you making them from scratch?"

"Nah, I'm using the stuff that comes in a box."

Orihime sounded a little disappointed at this, but moved on. "What are you making, Chad?"

"Apple pie."

"Oh, that sounds yummy!" She wrote it down on her clipboard. "And you, Uryu?"

"I'll try my hand at brownies."

"Nice!" She made another note. "And that just leaves-"

"Hey, guys! Look what I found!" Keigo came bursting into the room with a magazine. He threw it into Ichigo's face. "Take a look at that! Look, look, look!"

"I'm trying! What?"

Calmer than before, Keigo pointed to a small section in the magazine. "See? Look, page four."

Ichigo looked down and read the title. "'Rising Star Comes to Small Town'. Yeah, so?"

"So?" He pointed to the page repeatedly. "She's coming here! Look!"

"I saw it, ok? I still don't see what the big deal is."

Orihime and Tatsuki pressed in for a better look. "Hey, I've heard of her," Tatsuki said, pointing to the page. "She showed up out of the blue and is a huge hit."

"Who is she?"

"According to this magazine, she grew up at an orphanage in New York and was discovered and adopted by some guy at a talent show who liked her voice. He said that she was the best child singer he had ever heard and wanted to make her a star."

"And?"

"And since then, she's been traveling around the world, getting her name out there. She's become quite popular over the years. Like it says right here, she's a rising star. She's going to come out with her first CD in a few months. So far, she's been performing at concerts and small towns to get publicity. I hear she's very good. I only heard her once online. Someone took a recording of her songs at a concert last fall. At the time, she was just an opening act. Now she's getting big."

"Fast, too. Usually, these things take years before anyone like her is taken seriously," Uryu said.

Ichigo flipped the magazine closed. "I don't know why you bought it up. We're supposed to be doing work here."

"But she's coming here! That's what the big deal is!"

Ichigo groaned. "I've never been the type to idolize people for their job. If she sings, she sings. Big deal. I don't care."

"But- but- but…"

Ichigo looked at Orihime. "What's next on the list?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah…"

X

He had to admit that he was a little curious. Why would someone like her come to a place like this anyway? Just to get her name out there? She already had her name in the magazines, wasn't that enough? And all the way from New York, too. That was pretty far away. Why here of all places?

Ichigo took a hot shower and went straight to bed. He had a long day tomorrow. It was going to be Friday and that meant that he would only have this weekend left to work on their project. It was coming up fast.

Word of the rising star traveled fast around the town. Even his sisters had taken an interest in her. She wasn't that much older than they were. This girl was somewhere between 13 and 14 years old. Perhaps they thought that if she could do it, they could do it, too. That was Ichigo's idea anyway. He wasn't sure. Karin wanted to become famous for sports, not singing. He wasn't sure what Yuzu thought, though.

It was a warm night, so they opened their windows to let some air in. This meant that Ichigo could hear everything that they were doing. He fell asleep listening to them play her songs on their laptop.

X

The birds were unusually loud that morning. Ichigo rolled onto his side and tried to find his pillow to throw over his head. He couldn't find it. His bed was unusually hard, too. It felt like rock. He opened his eyes and found himself outside on the sidewalk, a couple blocks away from his house. He sat up and looked around. "What the hell? What am I doing all the way out here? How'd I get here, anyway?"

He stood up and jogged back to his house and climbed up to his open window. After all, he didn't have his keys on him and it was too early to wake everyone up with the door bell. Once inside, he was greeted by a unholy mess. His bed had been flipped onto its side and his closet door was wide open. His chair had been thrown across the room and his book bag had been torn to shreds.

"What the hell happened here?"

Kon crawled out from under the fallen mattress and whimpered. "Oh… I- Ichigo..!" He looked close to tears.

"Kon, what happened here?"

The stuffed animal sniffled. "Y- you… You went nuts! That's what happened!"

He closed the window and corrected the mattress. "What are you talking about?"

Kon jumped to his feet. "You went crazy in your sleep last night! At first, I thought you were having a nightmare, but then, you jumped off your bed, flipped over the chair and started to attack your school bag! I came out to see what was going on, but when you attacked me, I made a run for it and hid under your bed. The last thing I saw you do was jumped out the window and run off!"

Ichigo felt weak. "What..? Are you saying that I did all this?"

"Why do you think you were out there?"

"I…" He had no answer for that. "So… you think I was sleepwalking or something?"

"Walking? You were sleep-berserking! You nearly killed me! It's a good thing your family is used to this sort of thing! Your dad can sleep through anything and your sisters didn't seem to care! They're used to strange sounds coming from your room."

Ichigo sat down on the floor. None of this made any sense to him. Why would he do all this? How? Why?

X

On his way home from class that day, he heard someone call his name. He turned.

"Rukia?"

She was dressed in a school uniform, in a gigai. "Ichigo, we need to talk. But not here." She pulled him back to his house and up to his room. She sat him down on his newly made bed and tossed Kon aside after his usual greeting to her. "So, I understand that something strange has been going on around here recently."

"So you know, huh?" Ichigo wondered how she found out about his strange behavior so soon like this.

"Not too many Hollow have been showing up during the day, but at night, they pop up everywhere. The strange thing is that they're not attacking anyone. One soul I talked to said that a Hollow passed right over them. That's very strange. Then they just go away. That's very unnatural."

"Wait, so we're taking about Hollows right now?"

"What did you think I was talking about, bunnies?"

"Knowing you…" Ichigo went on. "I thought we were talking about me."

"Why? I was called here because of the Hollows. What do you have to do with it?"

Ichigo told her what happened and Kon told her his side of the story, too. After all was said and done, Rukia decided to spend the right in Ichigo's closet again.

The night was no different than any other night. But it did take longer for Ichigo to fall asleep than usual. Finally putting himself at ease, he fell asleep. Rukia stayed awake to watch him. There was no change in him for the first couple of hours, except for the occasional tossing and turning and sleepy mumbles. Rukia smiled when Ichigo snuggled into his pillow as he slept, wondering what kind of dream he was having. But other than that, there was no change in him.

Curious to see what was on at this late hour, Rukia got out of the closet to turn on the tiny TV on Ichigo's dresser. He never used it anyway. She kept the volume low and flipped through the channels until she found something she liked. It was the news. They were talking about a young rising star coming to Karakura Town. The two people shared their views on her and showed a clip from her recent concert in China. She had a lovely voice, even Rukia had to admit. It was very pretty, though she couldn't understand the language.

As the singing continued, Ichigo started to toss and turn in his sleep. He started groaning. Kon tugged on Rukia's pant leg and pointed to the bed.

"That's how he was last night before…"

Ichigo's eyes snapped open and he leapt out of bed. He made a lunge for the TV. Rukia jumped out of the way. Ichigo grabbed the small TV in both hands and held it tight in his arms, embracing it. He rested his chin on the warm, smooth top and nuzzled it in an almost affectionate way.

Rukia just stared at him, not sure if he was truly awake.

"Sing…"

She blinked.

Ichigo was whispering to the TV in his arms. "Sing some more… please… keep singing… I love that song for yours… sing for me… Sing, my lovely…"

"Ichigo..?" Rukia took a step closer to him.

His head snapped up and showed her his gold eyes. Black pupils, yellow irises and black sclera. This wasn't Ichigo.

This was his Hollow.

"I want her to sing," he kept murmuring. "Sing more. Sing for me."

Rukia didn't know what to do. She had never seen this before. Kon shivered behind her leg, clinging to her ankle fearfully. How did Ichigo's Hollow appear like this? Did he take over every time he fell asleep? That couldn't be. If that were the case, then why didn't it happen sooner? It only happened after…

She turned on the TV.

Ichigo stroked the bright screen with his finger tips, Hollow eyes fixed on the singer in the glowing box. His dark eye softened as he listened with a sweet smile. He looked so calm and happy. Was this really the hostile Hollow Ichigo had been fighting all this time? It couldn't be. This guy was almost affectionate. In fact, he was, the way he was cuddling the TV like that. He looked as if he were in love. In love with the singer.

He held the TV close and rested his cheek on its top. "Sing some more. I love your voice. Keep singing. Don't stop." He traced her face on the screen with his finger, loving her.

After another minute, her song came to an end and her audience applauded in the tiny TV. The newswoman gave a chuckle. "She really is something, isn't she? The rising star will be performing in Karakura Town next week. For more information, look at our website or check your local newspaper. Her team is still making the arrangements, I believe, so that's all the information we have. We'll be right back after this."

The Hollow's eyes darted back to the screen and shook it in his hands. "No!" he snapped. "Bring her back! I want to hear her! I have to hear her sing again! That voice… I need it!"

He slammed the TV down on the dresser causing the screen to go black. It was unclear whether he had broken it or simply loosened a wire somewhere. He punched the TV with a growl. Then his eyes found Rukia.

"I must have her..!" He took a threatening step forward towards her. She backed up. Would she have to fight him? She left her precious Chappy back in the closet. There was no way she'd be able to reach it in time before he attacked her. "Bring her back!"

"What are you talking about?" She backed up, nearly stepping on Kon in the process.

He put his hands on her shoulders, looking weak. "Please… I need that voice. I need her to sing again… Please." His voice was dying out.

"T- take your hands off my Rukia!" Kon shouted from the floor.

The blackness of his eyes started to fade away. "I need her… I need…" His eyes changed from yellow back to their usual brown and Ichigo slumped over into her arms.

"Ichigo?"

He was snoring softly. He was still asleep.

Rukia shook him. "Ichigo."

He moaned and turned away, wanting to sleep more.

She shook him harder. "Ichigo, wake up."

"Forget the cinnamon, Yuzu. Just gimme the French toast as it is. I'll butter it myself…"

"Ichigo, it's me! Now wake up!"

His eyes shot open and he looked around, confused. "Oh… For a second, I thought it was my sister." He looked back at his empty bed. "How'd I get over here?" He looked back at Rukia. "Was I sleepwalking or something?"

She shook her head. "I think we have a bigger problem actually."

X

After Rukia had explained everything to him, Ichigo decided to take a little walk down to visit the Vizards and have a little chat with them. Perhaps their Hollows were going crazy, too. But when he got there, he found their usual hideout locked up and abandoned. There was a small note fixed to the door, however. Ichigo opened it up and read it.

'Ichigo, if you're reading this, then we're already gone. We're going on a trip until this whole thing blows over. Later.'

"Sure, they tell me they're gone, but they don't say where or what the thing is they're waiting to blow over. Damn them." Ichigo crumpled up the note and tossed it aside. "Well, only one thing left to do now. I have to have a little chat with the old man." He sat on the ground and closed his eyes. Might as well get it over with now while he had a moment.

Zangetsu stood behind him, overcoat flapping in the breeze. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd show up."

"So you know, then, huh?" Ichigo stood up and faced him. "My Hollow took over me last night and the night before. What's going on? Why did he do that?"

"Because he was summoned."

"Huh? But I didn't summon him. What are you talking about?"

Zangetsu looked out over the buildings with a poker face. "It would seem that someone else has called him to the front."

"Huh?"

He looked back at Ichigo. "I was kind of hoping that you could tell me what was going on, but I suppose not." He sighed and started to move away. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you with this. It has nothing to do with me. But if your Hollow is out of control, then I suggest that you put him back on his leash. You refused to have him destroyed after all."

"But wait!" Ichigo chased after him. "What's going on? Why is he doing this? What's happening?"

"I can't answer that for you. You have to figure that out on your own. Even I don't have the slightest idea. Deal with it on your own."

"But my Hollow-"

"Only came because he was called. If you're not the one who did it, then you have to figure out who did."

Ichigo opened his eyes and found himself back on the ground outside the Vizard's hangout. That didn't help him much at all.

X

Ichigo and Rukia walked back to his house, talking about what had happened to him.

"So you said that when you turned on the TV in my room, my Hollow took over?"

"That's right. But he wasn't as violent as usual. He was a lot calmer than normal."

"That's got to be a first."

"Did you go and talk to those Vizard guys?"

"Yeah, but they weren't there. They said in a letter they left me that they would return when the whole thing blew over."

"What thing?"

"I have no idea."

Rukia stopped and pointed to a poster on a building. "Ichigo."

He looked. It was a picture of that rising star girl. The singer. "Wasn't that who my Hollow was attracted to, according to you?"

"Yeah, I think so. He said that he liked her singing. Know anything about that?"

He thought. "Wait… The other night when I Hollowfied, I was listening to my sisters play her song on their computer. And last night you said that my Hollow showed up while you were listening to her sing on the TV."

"So you think they're connected?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"It's a pretty safe bet." She looked back at the poster. "But I don't see how a mere human could do something like that with voice alone… She sings and your Hollow shows up. It seems pretty strange to me."

"But what if she's not human?"

She put a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. That could be. We'll have to find out more about her to be sure."

X

Monday rolled around. The day before their school festival. It was supposed to be that Monday, but the school board pushed it back a day for some reason. Ichigo got his reason when he walked into the classroom and found everyone pressed tightly against the windows looking outside.

"What's going on?"

"A limo just pulled up and our principal's going out there to talk to them."

"A limo? Why? Who's in it?"

"I don't know, but everyone's told to stay inside and not to make a fuss."

Ichigo squeezed between his classmates and looked outside. A black limo stopped in the middle of the grounds and the front gates closed, sealing them in. The driver came out and opened the back door to the limo. Everyone squeezed together for a better look. A girl with raven hair stepped out in a red dress and white shoes. She smiled at the principal and looked up at the crowded windows.

"It's her!"

"The girl from the posters!"

"The famous singer!"

"The rising star!"

"It's her! She's here!"

"She's here at our school!"

"What's she doing here of all places?"

Ichigo moved away from the window and the crowd. Something about this didn't feel right.

When everything settled down again, the announcements came on. "Attention students and faculty. We are pleased to announce that our school will be hosting the rising star's first warm-up concert during our festival tomorrow!"

"So that's why it was pushed back a day," a student whispered. "To make room for her."

"I hear she's good."

There was minor feedback as the microphone was passed over to a new person. "Hello Karakura High! My name is Linnette and I'll be looking forward to the festival tomorrow!"

Ichigo's heart skipped a beat when he heard her peppy, happy voice. She sounded like one of those dumb blond stereotypes, all happy and cheerful. But something about her voice made him feel uneasy. Almost sick to his stomach.

"Work hard during the festival and give it your all. I know I will."

* * *

Dun-dun-DUN!

O_O

Well, this can't be good. What's going to happen? What will he do? Who is this girl? Why am I asking you all these questions?

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2:

Ichigo helped his friends set up their stand outside in the school yard later that day. Everyone did their part except when Linnette was around. They all stopped working to catch a glimpse of her or chat with her and ask her questions. Ichigo got a chill when she walked by and their eyes met for just a moment. He didn't like this feeling. Not one bit.

Two bodyguards finally had to step in to save her from the going crowd. One was very tall and fit while the other looked no bigger than Ichigo as far as build, but he was a few inches taller than he was. They surrounded the girl and led her away into the school building, saying how she was late for practice.

This was his chance to find out for sure. Ichigo snuck away from the group and into the school. He used his Soul Badge, turning into a Soul Reaper and hid his body in a closet. He went straight to the auditorium. He stood in the back, watching them set up. A couple of teachers and students from tech club were helping to make her practice performance just as good as the real thing. They set up lights and turned on a microphone, setting it up in front of her. She stood in the middle of the stage, shielding her yes from the bright lights.

"Try the blue," a teacher suggested.

They adjusted the lights.

"How's her mic?"

"Try it, miss."

She tapped the microphone with her fingertip, getting soft feedback. "Testing, testing. It should be good enough."

"Wonderful. Whenever you're ready."

Her bodyguards stood on either side of the stage watching her. She cleared her throat. She opened her mouth and the first note hit Ichigo like a slap in the face.

He felt strange, like he was being held upside down and spun around really fast. He felt lightheaded and weird. His Hollow was taking over. He knew that feeling anywhere. But he never felt like this before. It was an old feeling mixed with something else. His Hollow was being drawn out. He tried to suppress it but he couldn't. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything. He was helpless.

"Stop, stop, stop." Another teacher came walking down the carpeted isle and over to the front of the stage.

Her song stopped and Ichigo fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Was her song really that powerful?

"What's this about?" Her slimmer bodyguard walked to the front of the stage. "How dare you interrupt."

"It's fine, Victor." Linnette said pleasantly. She didn't seem to mind at all. "Is there a problem?"

"Well, I was looking over tomorrow's activities and realized that the drama club already has use of the stage for most of the afternoon. I'm sorry."

"Aw, so we can't use it?"

"That won't be an issue," Victor told them. "I've arranged a small stage for your performance. We'll have it set up an hour before the festivities are over. You'll be the evening's headliner. The main act."

She smiled. "That sounds like fun. Thanks."

Victor nodded to the teacher. "There's no need to worry yourself. I have it all taken care of. Will that be all?"

Ichigo got up and staggered out the door into the hall. That was weird! And scary! How the hell did she do that? It really was her voice after all.

X

"I still can't believe you did that, Ichigo. What if someone saw you? What if you went Hollow? What if that teacher hadn't shown up when he did? You have to think of these things, you know."

"I know, I know! Stop nagging me. But I had to know for sure and we were right. It is her song that does it to me. I felt like my Hollow was being pulled to the front. I could feel him taking over, but there was nothing I could do about it. It was freaky."

"I'm sending a message to the Soul Society right now. But it could take a while." Rukia typed a few things on her Soul Pager. "Anyway, I did my own research on the girl. As it turns out, she's human."

"What?"

"She's human. I thought that she'd be something else which would explain her strange powers but she's not. She's all human. I can't explain her powers, though. I don't know where she got them from or if she even has any powers."

"Not sure?" Ichigo stopped walking and turned around. "Rukia, she can force me to go Hollow if she sings. If that isn't some kind of power, I don't know what is!"

"Calm down. No need to get yourself worked up. We're still not even sure if that's what it is."

"Then I suppose I just _happen_ to go Hollow every time she sings?"

"It could be just a coincidence. We need more information to know for sure. But that doesn't mean that you have to go running off on your own like that again, got it? Next time, you might go all the way. I don't have all the information yet, but I think it's a pretty safe bet that you being in human form helps restrict your Hollow. It's your Soul Reaper form that I'm worried about. He'd be more powerful and have access to all your powers if you're a Soul Reaper."

X

"Japan is so strange, isn't it? But she wanted to go here for the longest time, so…"

"She loves sushi, I know that. But we can get that back in New York. Pizza, too."

"I know, but she likes it better here, I think. Try to please her. We need her happy. She can't sing if she's too upset."

The taller of the two men stopped and looked around. "You picked a good spot, Victor. There aren't too many people here."

"That's good. No cameras to blind us. But word travels fast around these places."

"As I recall, you're the one who wanted the publicity."

Victor smiled. "Yes. But it's all for the best. My sweet little girl will be a star. The brightest one out there." He knocked on her hotel door. "Sweetie, it's me. Open up."

A minute later, the door opened. "Hi, Victor." She gave him a hug. "Did you like the rehearsal?"

"Very much. You were right on key. Perfect pitch as always. What did you think?"

She looked back into the room, perplexed. "Well… there was this boy in the back row."

"Who?"

"I'm not sure." She ran back inside and bounced on the bed. "He had baggy clothes like this, only all black." She pulled up the bed sheet and wrapped it around her legs, trying to illustrate a kimono. Next, she grabbed one of her pillows and wrapped the sheet around it, tossing it over her back. "And he carried a sword that looked like this, all wrapped up in a white cloth. It was big, too."

"Oh, really?" Victor sat on the bed. "He heard you sing?"

"I'm sure he did, but he ran out after that teacher came in to talk to us."

"Hmm…" Victor looked back at the other man. "This is interesting, don't you think, Cedric?"

The other man nodded. "I was thinking the same."

X

The day of the festival. Everyone's hard work paid off. Their school festival was a huge hit, but many people knew that it wasn't their hard work that attracted such a large crowd. It was the promise of a sneak peek at the rising star performer. Ichigo tried to put it out of his mind as he worked at their bake sale. Uryu's brownies were a big hit and so were Yuzu's cupcakes. Chad's pie sold after a couple of hours for a good sum of money. But no one had touched Orihime's spinach cupcakes with paprika topping. She had made some extra for Ichigo and the others to munch on, but there were no takers. They didn't want to be poisoned.

Ichigo kept his eye on the stage as it went up slowly, piece by piece throughout the day. The last thing to go on were the lights. They were being strung up on the large metal poles stretching from corner to corner above the platform. Her performance was at 5:30 that day. Their festivities ended at 6:00. That last half hour was going to be hell for him. What if he went Hollow in front of his family? What if he attacked someone? If he went Hollow in human form, that meant that everyone could see him and would have to take full responsibility for his actions, willful or not. On the plus side, he wouldn't be able to do that much damage as a human. Still and all…

"Ichigo." Rukia held up a cupcake. "I'll take this."

"Huh? Oh." He took her money and she peeled the wrapper, talking to him discreetly.

"I've contacted Urahara. He's agreed to keep your family distracted should they show up around 5:00. I'll be keeping an eye on you in the meantime. Under no circumstances are you to turn into a Soul Reaper."

"But-"

"No matter what, Ichigo."

He sighed. "Fine. What's the Soul Society going to do about this anyway?"

She looked away. "They haven't contacted me yet. They're still working out a plan of action."

"What? What's taking so long? Don't they realize what's happening here?"

"So far, we have a plan. Urahara looks after your family while I look after you. That's better than nothing."

"I guess…"

"HELLO, ICHIGO!"

He winced at his father's loud tone. Of all times for him to show up…

He pushed his sisters forward. "Hi, Ichigo! Are my cupcakes selling?"

"Yeah, they are. Thanks."

Karin looked around. "So the pop princess is going to be performing there, huh?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Oh! We have to see her! It's so much better in person!" Yuzu bounced. "Can we, daddy?"

"Sure thing, sweetheart!" He patted her head. "That's what we came here for! And how are you doing, Ichigo?"

"Fine," he grunted deadpan.

His father stood on his side of the stand to get a look from Ichigo's perspective. "Ohh! Looks like you have a good view of the set! You can see the whole stage from here!"

"Get out of the booth!" Ichigo shoved him out onto the blacktop. "Either buy something or get lost."

His father stood up and was in his face all over again. "Now is that anyway to speak to your-"

Ichigo punched him in the face. "I said get lost!"

Yuzu whined for them to cool it in public while Karin got a better look of the set. A few minutes later, they were gone to enjoy the rest of the festival.

X

Ichigo looked at his watch. It was 4:58. People were already setting up around the outdoor stage, wanting to get a good seat before the show started. They had been lingering around that area for the past hour, and her show wouldn't start for another hour and a half. But now that it was nearly 5:00, more people had shown up and decided to stay put. Rukia stayed close to Ichigo the whole time, watching and waiting. She had been given no other orders.

When his watch hit 5:23, he started to panic. Men were walking out onto the stage, placing a microphone in the front center and rolled out a black carpet for the singer to stand on. They were checking the lights and sound. Ichigo's group wasn't getting anymore customers now that everyone was standing in front of the stage, waiting for the young star. Tatsuki took this chance to use the bathroom now that there was no longer a line for their booth. Keigo, and Mizuiro snuck away and lost themselves in the sea of people by the stage. They wanted to see her up close, too.

Ichigo was running out of time. Where was his family?

"Step right up, folks! Come one, come all to the wonderful, mystical Urahara haunted house!"

_Oh, no_… Ichigo turned and saw Kisuke standing by the front of the school, wearing a dark green warlock costume and pumpkin hat. The pumpkin was wearing a mini version of his trademark hat, surprise, surprise… He was leading Ichigo's sisters inside with his cane. And as always, wherever they went, so did their father. Yuzu was protesting how they wouldn't have enough time to see it and make it back in time for the show, but Karin insisted that they would if they hurried. After all, it didn't take five minutes to see a high school's haunted house. They disappeared behind the black cloth and Kisuke gave Ichigo a wink. But that didn't assure him in the slightest.

His watch read 5:29. One more minute. He had to get out of here now! He should have done so sooner but wanted to be sure that his family was out of the way first. Ichigo tried to make a run for it, but his teacher held him back.

"Oh, no you don't." She pushed him back into the booth. "You need to stay put. It's bad enough that three of your group members are gone. I can't have anymore of you running off. What if you get more people?"

"But-"

"No buts!"

Ichigo looked at his watch. It was too late anyway. It was already 5:30

The lights on the stage dimmed and the crowd applauded. Then the mic was taken up by the man called Victor. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming to Karakura High this afternoon. Please help yourselves to some free refreshments and enjoy the show."

The crowd clapped and cheered.

Uryu sneered. "Free? Then what's all this we did today? Sales are going to go way down now."

Chad grunted.

"But, the refreshments they have aren't baked goods like we have. They look more like free samples. Not everyone likes them. It doesn't mean anything," Orihime told them.

The cheers died down as a singer made her way onto the stage wearing an orange dress, matching Ichigo's hair. She went up to the microphone. Ichigo tried one last time to flee, but his teacher stood behind him, shaking her head. He was trapped.

To make things worse, the song started and Rukia was nowhere in sight.

"Nusquam somes

tantum crimen nex

meus carmen increbresco

EGO sum questio vobis , meus diligo."

"Hey, what kind of language is that?" Orihime asked.

"I think it's Latin…" Uryu said. "I can't understand it, though."

"It's sure is pretty, though."

Ichigo shivered. There was that feeling again. He felt like something was crawling beneath his skin. He felt as if his was spinning around on his head again. That was the new feeling. Then the old feeling of someone inside him trying to claw his way to the surface came to him. It was his Hollow. He could hear him talking in his head, too. His hissing growing louder with every breath. _Yesss…! Sing… Sing for me..!_ His Hollow was beginning to take over.

There was a scream from the crowd followed by another.

"Wh... What is that?" Orihime looked out into the crowd. Keigo had been tossed through the air like a doll and smashed against the ground hard. Another person went flying a moment later, thrown by a different man. Two women started to grab and pull each other's hair and slapped each other across the face. Three students flipped over their booth and started to attack each other in a blind fury. Ichigo's teacher came rushing over to try to stop this but was attacked herself by a woman in the crowd. The woman's five year old daughter clung to her leg, begging her to stop. She was terrified.

"What's going on?"

Uryu looked around. "It's a riot!"

"We have to stop this," Chad told them.

Orihime nodded and climbed over the table. "I'll do what I can. Ichigo, help, too!" She ran off into the crowd.

"Cope per is totus

Alveus in nox noctis

Audite meus carmen

Quod diligo mihi."

Ichigo couldn't moved. He tried covering his ears, but nothing could drown out her song. Uryu looked back and saw him on the ground. He tried calling his name, but all Ichigo did was hiss. Ichigo shut his eyes and wished for it to stop.

The next time he opened his eyes, they were glowing bright yellow.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

"Ichigo?"

Rukia jumped down and stood in front of Uryu. "Stay away from him!"

Ichigo's Hollow eyes looked past them to the singer on stage. "Oh, my darling..! Sing, princess, sing!" He moved closer to the stage. "Sing for me!" His Hollow had taken over.

Uryu looked from the possessed Ichigo back to the singer on stage.

"Help Orihime and Chad!" Rukia ordered before Uryu could wrap his head around the situation. "Hurry! There's no time to waste!"

As he made a run for it, roaring from above caught his attention and looked up. Four or five Hollows had shown up, all of them moving towards the crowd. Uryu had to stop them before anyone got hurt. He turned and fired an arrow straight up. It hit the mark. Another Hollow was moving closer. Only five? This would be easy. But as he raised his Quincy weapon for another round, a human was thrown right into the path of his arrow. To avoid him, Uryu had to quickly redirect and the arrow just grazed a Hollow's arm. Oddly enough, the injured Hollow didn't seem to notice. It paid him no attention at all. Did it even feel pain?

"Ichigo, can you hear me?" Rukia was trying her best to stop Ichigo anyway she could. But she was still in her gigai. If he attacked, what would she do? Even as a human, Ichigo was still strong enough to do some damage.

But his eyes were only focused on the singer up on stage, singing her song. He pushed past Rukia and stood closer to the stage. Like an obsessed fan, he stared longingly up at her and cheered her on.

"EGO sum vox vocis

of diligo ut cannot ago  
etiamnunc is nunquam dies!"

"Yes. Yes, yes, yes!" his Hollow shrieked. "That's it!" His eyes shined brighter than ever and he turned to the crowd. "Finally, I can have some fun!" He jumped into the crowd and started to fight with some of the other concertgoers.

Rukia jumped in after him and pulled him back. "No, stop! Don't! Ichigo! I know you're in there so please!"

His hand whipped around and Ichigo lowered his face down to hers. That was Ichigo's face, but not his eyes or smile. It was clearly the Hollow. "Don't make me stop! I won't! She wants me to play! Can't you hear that song? She's inviting me to play!"

Her song continued, growing louder, fueling the crowd into a frenzy. The attacks were becoming more violent and even Hollow Ichigo was starting to get very aggressive. Rukia had no choice but to hold him back with her bare hands. Anything else she did would have been useless in her gigai. But as a Soul Reaper she may have been too powerful for a mere human. Perhaps a restraining kido would do the trick, though. But right now she had her hands full with an out of control Ichigo. If she let go for even a second, he would attack the people in the crowd. Right now, he was reaching for a helpless child, looking to tear them apart.

Orihime and Chad were trying their best to protect the others in the crowd without drawing attention to themselves. Uryu was still trying to fight off the Hollows without hitting anyone who came by. He was jumped from behind by another student. This person wasn't even in his class. What did he want? The boy ripped Uryu's clothes and tried to bit his neck like a vampire. Uryu threw him off but a girl grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled him down from behind. She started to stomp him repeatedly with the heel of her shoe. How was he supposed to fight them? He needed help. They all did!

Victor and Cedric watched the display from side stage. Victor opened a can of watermelon soda and took a small drink. "Good performance, isn't it?"

Cedric nodded. "Very good. But I've seen better."

"I know. This is just a warm-up for the real stuff." He handed his friend a cup. "Want some?"

"No, thank you." He was looking out into the crowd. "But do you see that boy right there?"

Victor looked. "Ah, yes… That orange-haired boy. Very interesting."

"What should we do about him? You don't suppose..?"

"I do. But we'll have to wait until the end of the show to know for sure. I'll let you know in a minute. Her song is ending."" He took a sip of his drink. "Mm. This is very sweet."

Hollow Ichigo fought against Rukia's grip, trying to tear something apart. He wanted to fight. Rukia used all her strength to pull him away from the crowd. Furious and pumped up from the song, Hollow Ichigo punched her in the face. She staggered back. He was upon her in a second, ripping at her hair. If he was going to fight anyone, it might as well be her.

"Permissum mihi take vos!

Permissum mihi usus vos!

Operor ut Inquam.  
Vos es mei!"

Her song came to a dramatic end. Instead of hearing applause, all that could be heard was the sound of people screaming and fighting. Despite this, she went on to her next song. Her closing song. She leaned back towards the microphone and sang.

Hollow Ichigo abruptly stopped and looked up at the stage. The couple stomping Uryu stopped and looked up as well. People in the crowd started to calm, though some were still fighting. Uryu looked up at the stage, wondering what was going on.

It was a beautiful harmonious song, casting a spell over all who heard it.

Hollow Ichigo shut his eyes slowly with a smile. "Looks like my time here is done for now. Until next time, princess…" He fell sideways into Rukia's arms.

"Ichigo?"

He didn't make a sound. He looked as if he were merely asleep.

She dragged him over to their bake sale stand and sat him down on the ground, leaning him against the side of the stand. She called to him, but he didn't move. So she tried louder. When that didn't work, she tried shaking him. He frowned and then relaxed. "Ichigo!"

Finally his eyes opened. He blinked once, twice and looked up at her. He looked as if he had just woken up from a long nap. He looked around, realizing that he was propped up against their table. He sat up rubbing his head. "Was… it all a dream? Was I asleep?"

"Ichigo…"

He looked back at Rukia's swollen face. "What happened to you? Why's your face all puffy like that?"

She gave him a sympathetic look. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?"

The crowd started to come out of their dazes as well, looking around in confusion. Several people asked questions while others almost started another fight, asking why the other person had hit them in the first place. A couple of teenagers argued about who started what and a mother tried consoling her shaken child. One parent pushed another, demanding to know why they had hit their child. Many stands were broken beyond repair and some where being turned right-side up again by students. No one knew what had caused the riot in the first place, but some suspected that it was caused by a couple of rowdy teens looking for trouble. Keigo being thrown may have been the spark that started it all.

Ichigo looked back at Rukia, slowly putting the pieces into place. "So… did I..?"

"Ichigo…"

"What the hell? Who did that? Move it! Out of my way!" Tatsuki had just returned from the bathroom and pushed her way to an injured Orihime. "Who gave you think black eye? I'll kill them! Where are they?"

She shook her head, not wanting to be a bother. "No, it's ok, Tatsuki. It's nothing, really. I'm ok."

"Don't defend them, Orihime. Who did it?"

She looked away. "I… Well, I didn't really get a very good look at them. I mean, everyone was moving around so fast. It could have been anyone. I don't know who did it. Don't worry about it, Tatsuki. I'm fine, really! It's no big deal. You know me. I can handle anything. I don't even feel it that much."

Ichigo looked back at Rukia, worried. "D- did I..?" He pointed to Orihime's injury.

Rukia shook her head. "No, you didn't. It was someone else."

He stood up. "I have to find my family."

"But they're fine."

Too late. He was already gone.

Ichigo staggered around behind the trailers and parked cars behind the school building. What had he done? He couldn't remember anything. He felt as if he had been sleeping this whole time. He didn't feel anything. He couldn't remember anything. It was as if his entire self had been shut down and locked up somewhere deep inside his being. It was unlike all those other times when his Hollow had taken over. Most of the time, he was aware of what was happening and had to fight to regain control. He had to rip that horrid mask off his face and defeat his Hollow if he ever wanted to be in control again. But what really troubled him was what happened in that crowd. They were fighting each other? Why? What happened? What started the fight? Did he really have nothing to do with it? And what about those Hollows that Uryu killed as things calmed down? Where did they come from?

"Well, well, well…"

Ichigo jumped and spun around.

A tall sender man in a white suit was walking towards him. He smiled at Ichigo in a charming way as if he was trying to win him over. "I figured I'd find you here, sulking about."

"Who… who are you?"

He smiled. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Victor."

He remembered this man from earlier back in the auditorium. "You work for that girl, don't you?"

Victor's grin spread. "Correct. I am her supervisor. I am in charge of booking all of her meetings, performances and overall bodyguard. Pleasure to meet you… Ichigo, correct? I heard those friends of yours call you that. Am I right?"

Ichigo stood firm. "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki."

The man smiled. "Ah."

He gave the man a cold glare. "What do you want?"

"Oh, it's not what I want. It's what my dear, sweet little Linnette wants."

"What?"

He bowed his head and gestured to a trailer a few cars away. "She's requested your company in her dressing room."

"Huh?" Ichigo was taken aback by this man's implausible words.

"Too many big words? I'll go slower."

Ichigo snarled at the man.

"She would like to see you."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "My guess is that she wants to talk to you. It's an honor, if I do say so myself. I suggest you take it."

What was he supposed to do? It could have been a trap. But what if it wasn't? And this would be the perfect chance to see her himself in person. This may have been his only opportunity to get the answers he wanted. He might be able to find out how she was able to sing him into submission and where she had acquired these powers from. This may have been his only chance. A golden opportunity to hear the truth.

"Alright. I'll see her."

Ichigo let Victor put an arm around his shoulder and the two of them walked several cars down and through the door of a large trailer still attached to a cab. "This way." After knocking on the door in the back of the trailer, Victor indicated for Ichigo to go in. He had to be given a little push to get his legs to move. His nostrils were filled with the smell of flowery perfume and cosmetics the moment he entered the trailer. A sofa was covered in gifts and flowers and colorful stuffed animals covered the floor. It was then that he realized that this was the dressing room for the lead performer. Victor closed the door behind Ichigo and stood outside. Ichigo could see his shadow in the small glass window. The songstress must have ordered that she would be left alone with her guest.

Ichigo's eyes were drawn to the image of a young girl reflected in the mirror hanging on the wall above a make-up table. Linnette.

She carefully pushed aside her bangs with an innocent gesture. Her long slender fingers played with her hair, apparently unaware of her visitor. She ran her hand through her hair and met Ichigo's eyes in the mirror. She spun her chair around and spoke to him in a surprisingly cold tone. "I wanted to see you, Ichigo."

"Oh?" He wrinkled his brow, silently reprimanding himself for not being able to speak to her the way he would like. He wanted to scream at her or even put her up against the wall for what she had done to him. But right now he was feeling so emotional about hearing her speak to him in such a way. So this was the real Linnette. The innocent young singer was just an act. He suspected as much. So many mixed feelings…

"Something wrong?" she asked in that same tone.

He forced himself not to answer. He felt angry and frustrated that she had this power over him and that she could cause all this destruction to happen. He also felt this way for not knowing why she wanted to see him in the first place. He was curious about that, too. He was upset with what had happened to his friends out there and all those people who had nothing to do with it. And as much as he hated to admit it, he was also frightened of her. He knew what she was capable of and that icy tone alone sent chills down his spine.

"Ichigo… It's a cute name, isn't it? Should I call you 'berry'?" she giggled.

"No," he answered coldly. "Now why did you bring me here? What do you want?"

"Did you enjoy the show?"

"Just answer me!"

"Calm down. I had no idea Vizards were so emotional."

He momentarily forgot how to speak. "Wh… what did you just say?"

"You are a Vizard, aren't you?"

"How do you know about them?"

She pointed to a chair near the gift-covered couch. "Sit and I'll explain everything."

Ichigo pushed aside some stuffed animals with his foot and sat down in the cushioned chair. "What's going on?"

She spun in the chair like a child for a minute, then stopped. "I know all about them. I've been to Karakura Town before. That's when I meant them. They didn't much care for my singing, though. In fact, I'm sure that's why they left this year. I can't find them now."

That must have been it. That note said that they would be gone until this 'whole thing' blew over. This must have been what they meant by that. They knew about her power and fled to avoid this mess. _Then why the hell didn't they warn me about it?_ If he had only known about it himself, he may have been about to run off, too, and hide until she was gone.

"That was last year. I didn't really like any of them anyway. But this year I found someone I did like." She winked at him. "And that's you, Ichigo."

"Me? Why me? What about me?"

She smiled. "Why not?"

"Why not what?"

She spun in her chair again. "Why not come with me?"

Ichigo's tongue went dead in his mouth. All he could do was stare at her. "What?" he finally managed.

"I've been looking for someone to come with me on the road. I could always use a new bodyguard. And I wouldn't mind having a friend come along, too."

"We'll never be friends."

She gave him a chilling smile. "Oh? But your Hollow already likes me. Why don't I be friends with him? He is a part of you, isn't he? I like him."

Ichigo felt his Hollow purr in his chest. He had never felt that sensation before. He really did like her, didn't he?

She chuckled. "I've always had this power, as far back as I can remember." She turned back to look at herself in the mirror. "I never had a home. Or a family. My real parents abandoned me on a porch when I was a baby. A doorstep drop off. Did you know that Linnette isn't my real name? That was the name given to me by the orphanage that picked me up. I never knew my real name. I don't even know if I have one."

Ichigo kept his eye on her the whole time, never once letting his guard down.

"I ran away when I was five. Not on purpose, anyway. I wandered off on my own and couldn't find my way back. So I lived on the street for a year."

"And no one noticed a five year old girl on the street?" he asked.

She laughed. "That's the thing about people. They never notice you if you're small. Most of those people just assumed that I was someone else's kid and didn't pay any mind to me. One old woman finally asked where my parents were and I told her that I have none and she phoned me in and I was taken to another orphanage. The kids weren't very nice and bullied me all the time. The adults never did anything about it, of course. And when adoption day came around, I was always passed over. They always wanted someone else."

Ichigo wasn't giving in to her sob story. He knew that it must have been a trick of some kind to get him to let his guard down.

"I couldn't do anything, anyway. I had no talent. I was awful in math and hated science. I could never remember dates in history or remember names and events. I learned other languages pretty quickly, though. I wasn't athletic and I could never make a team. I had no interest in clubs and I couldn't play an instrument. However…" Her eyes found Ichigo's in the mirror again. "I did discover this talent for singing when I was in music class. I was very good. I was a natural. Or perhaps supernatural."

There was no argument with that.

She smiled brightly. "At a talent show, I caught the attention of Victor in the audience. He liked my voice and asked the teachers where he could find me. He came to the orphanage and adopted me on the spot. He said that he had great plans for me and would make me a star. So far he's keeping his word."

"Just like that?"

"Well, I am summarizing. But he's well-off. He had loads of money and has the experience. He's taken care of me this whole time like a father."

"But he isn't, is he? He's just an agent."

She shrugged. "No one ever said that I had to call him daddy. He just promised to make me happy. And so far I am." She looked back at him. "But what I really would like is someone to accompany me on my travels. You know, carry my stuff, keep me company, eat dinner with me and just hang out whenever I ask you to."

Ichigo fought the urge to jump up and smack her. "I'll never be your damned lapdog!"

She took his harsh tone as a warm summer breeze. "But I always get what I want."

"Then get used to disappointment."

She stood up from her seat and walked over to him. Ichigo went tense, unsure of what was going to happen next. She smirked down at him in the chair and flipped a strand of hair aside. "I'm giving you an offer you can't refuse. And if you do, I feel sorry for the people you'll hurt."

His heart pounded against his chest for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

"Think about it." She twirled around in front of him like an innocent child. "Every time I sing, your Hollow comes out. And there's nothing you can do about it. Do you remember what it felt like before? The total mind blank? You didn't have that before, did you?"

She was right. All those other times his Hollow had taken over, he was always aware of it. He even fought for control when his Hollow was about to win the fight for him when facing off with Byakuya. He could rip the mask off his face and return to normal. But when she sang, his Hollow came out no matter what and he was helpless to stop it. When her song began, his body would go into complete shutdown. He couldn't move or do anything. And when he regained control, it was only after her song had ended. And when that happened, he came out of it feeling as if he had just fallen into a deep sleep, with no memory of what happened.

"If you turn me down on my offer, Ichigo, don't blame me if you end up hurting someone you really love."

He wanted to stand, but his legs wouldn't obey. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that the next time I sing, your Hollow will come back. And when that happens, you could end up hurting someone you care about. Your Hollow had complete control over your body. He could make you do anything. You won't have a say in it. You'll just have to live with what you did while under his control. After all, people will think it was you who did it, being human and all. But if you were to change into a Soul Reaper, you would go full-Hollow with all the power. You could kill someone."

She was right! That's why Rukia didn't let him turn into a Soul Reaper. He would become a real Hollow with all the power to boot. At least as a human, he was considerably weaker. But then he would have to answer for everything he did since people could see him.

"Tonight was just a taste of what I can do. It was a warm-up. Imagine that only bigger and better. Your friends got hurt tonight, didn't they? I can only imagine how you would feel if you were the one who took there life next time."

Ichigo stood up from his chair, ready to attack her. "I don't care what you say! I won't let that happen! I'm not the only Soul Reaper around here. We'll put a stop to you. Kill you if we have to."

She wagged her finger in his face. "Oh, no, you won't. You can't."

"Why? Why can't I kill you?"

She stretched her arms out as if asking for a hug. "Because I'm a pop diva! A rising star! You saw the crowd out there tonight and this was a private concert. Imagine the gathering at my real show. The place will be packed. I'm in all the magazines and on TV! I'm known around the world and getting more famous by the day. Word of my death would make headlines everywhere. There will be investigations and you will be the one to blame. And if that doesn't bother you, think about this…" She moved closer to him with a smirk. "It's illegal for Soul Reapers to kill humans. I'm a human. There's nothing they can do to stop me. They can't kill me and there's no way I'm going to stop singing. You're stuck."

Ichigo staggered back. Once again, she was right. She had him cornered. The Soul Society couldn't do anything about this and Rukia was still trying to get them to send someone here to help. He couldn't kill a famous person. That would make him a murderer. He'd be taken away to prison and then what? What about his family and friends? If he couldn't do anything and the Soul Reapers couldn't do anything, then what could they do to stop her?

Simple. They couldn't.

"Think about this, Ichigo." Linnette poked him in the chest with her finger. He couldn't move or do anything to stop her. His body had shut down again. "If you come with me, I promise not to make you go Hollow. I won't hurt anyone you care about and I'll leave your family alone."

Did she really mean that? Was that his only option? Come or deal with the consequences? If he joined her, his family and friends would be kept safe? They wouldn't be harmed and his Hollow would stay locked up? Could he really believe this? Look who it was coming from.

"Did you hear me? I said that in return for coming with me on my tour, I'll leave them all alone. I won't turn you into a Hollow and I won't hurt anyone. They'll all be safe. Sound good to you?"

A man came flying through the door and into the trailer. "Sweetie, it's almost time. You have to get ready." Victor walked past Ichigo and led Linnette back towards the mirror. He put his hands on her shoulders, pressing her down once again into the chair. He ignored her complaints and took a close look at the hairstyle and makeup of the costumed performer. "Lovely as always. Nice. Very nice. You are going to look amazing up on that stage."

"Huh?"

The two once again became aware of Ichigo's presence. "Oh, yes. She has an appointment with the stage tomorrow night elsewhere. Didn't you know? This school was just a warm-up."

So this was going to happen again tomorrow? He couldn't let this happen.

Victor put his arms around the young diva's shoulders like a proud father. "And tonight she has a dinner to attend. Mustn't forget that. The press will be waiting for you. Can't keep them waiting."

Ichigo moved towards them, but a hand reached out and grabbed him from behind. He turned his head upward to find a very big man towering over him, hands wrapped around his shoulders. This man was huge! He was dressed in a casual outfit, unlike Victor. He had a long metal chain dangling from his pants pocket and up to the back of his black belt. His steel eyes met Ichigo's with a low growl. This must have been one of her bodyguards.

"That's enough, Cedric. Ichigo is a guest. Try to play nice."

Cedric looked at Victor. "So this is the one she wants, is that it?"

Victor looked at the girl under his arm. "Well? Is he, dear?" He spoke charmingly to her like a father addressing his young child.

She nodded. "Yes. I would like Ichigo to come with us. I've already ask."

"There's no way I'm going along with you!" he shouted.

She smiled.

Ichigo turned away, feeling something in his chest throb. Perhaps it was his Hollow making his feelings known.

Victor pushed Linnette out the door and over to a limo. Cedric shoved Ichigo out of the trailer before locking it and tapping on the glass of the cab it was attached to. The cab drove off, tugging the large trailer behind it. Police sirens sounded and Ichigo could see the flashing lights approach the school building. The big riot must have caused this. It took them long enough to show up. Ichigo watched as Linnette was loaded into the limo, her two bodyguards following after her. The door slammed shut and the window rolled down. Linnette stuck her head out.

"Ichigo."

He moved closer to hear what she had to say.

"My last public performance in this town is tomorrow night. You have until then to decide. Choose." The window rolled up and the limo sped off. Ichigo stood in the dust cloud it left behind and watched them go.

* * *

Please review! ^-^


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

A concert was going to be held in the park that night. Ichigo was running out of time. He had to think of a plan. Should he just stay home and hide under the covers? No way! He was no coward. Besides, that wouldn't help him for long. The next time he heard her sing, be it on a laptop, a TV or CD or whatever, his Hollow would emerge. She promised to keep this from happening as long as he agreed to join her. But could she really do that? Was there a trick of some kind that only she knew about? That wouldn't surprise him in the least. After all, this girl knew about Soul Reapers and Vizards. What else could she know about?

He only had one night to think about it. After this, it was all over for him. He weighed his options. What it all came down to was this: his freedom or their lives. If he joined, they would be safe. If he didn't, he would end up hurting them next time. He was certain of that.

The next evening, Ichigo went to the park to see the stage set-up. It was much bigger and fancier than the one at the school. This one looked like a real stage for a famous performer. Groups of people were already setting up lawn chairs in the grass in front of the stage, getting a good seat before the show started. They looked like they were getting ready to camp out or something. Was she really that popular? When the media said 'rising star' they weren't kidding.

"Ichigo."

He turned around and saw Rukia standing behind him in a gigai. Behind her were four others also in gigais.

"I found help. I got word from the Soul Society and they agreed to send some help."

Ichigo frowned. "So they sent _them_?"

Hitsugaya, accompanied by Rangiku, Ikkaku and Yumichika, glared at him. "I resent that. We're perfectly capable for this mission."

"But why you guys, of all people? It seems so much like the old team getting back together, but Renji's not here. What's up with that?"

"He's on a mission with my brother," Rukia answered. "Can we move on? Ok, for this mission, we needed a captain so that's why Hitsugaya's here. A captain shouldn't go anywhere without his lieutenant, so that's why Rangiku came along. Plus, she thought it would be fun to come along and see a free concert and maybe do a little shopping."

"This isn't a sleepover party, for crying out loud…"

"Squad 11 is always first to be dispatched on these kinds of missions if combat is a given, so that's why Ikkaku came. And Yumichika doesn't go anywhere without him, so that's why he's here, too."

Ichigo hung his head with a moan. "I hope you guys know what you're doing."

"Of course we do." Hitsugaya looked around. "But first off, we're here to observe. There will be no interfering with the supposed enemy until we get all the facts."

"What?" Ichigo snapped. "You mean to tell me that you're not here to help take her down somehow?"

"Ichigo, we're still not sure if she's the real problem."

"Yeah, she is!"

Hitsugaya looked back at the stage. "Would you keep your voice down? Listen, for all we know this girl's just a pawn. And even if she's not, there's no evidence to suggest that it's her voice that does this."

"Uh, yeah, it is! And they call you a genius, Toshiro?"

His white head spun around. "First of all, that's Captain Hitsugaya! Second of all, shut up!" He went back to looking around. "I find it hard to believe that a mere human possesses such a power. For all we know, it's not her voice that does this, but a device instead. She could be using a special microphone or be wearing a necklace that-"

"Captain, look!" Rangiku pointed to a table. "They're selling…" She saw the look on his face. "Oh. Bad time?"

"Anyway…" Hitsugaya took her arm off from around him and went back to addressing Ichigo. "My point is that we're just going by what you two reported. You could have it wrong. We'll analyze as we go along and determine what our best course of action should be from there."

Ichigo groaned in defeat. "Ah, fine. Do what you want. I can't stop you." He couldn't stop them anymore than he could stop her...

The stage was readied for the main act. It was decorated with a long black carpet and potted flowers on each corner. A tall microphone stood center stage, ready and waiting for the main act. There were no chairs, so the crowd quickly filling the standing area had to provide their own. Young teenaged boys looked curiously at the giant poster pinned up by the park entrance. They whispered excitedly to each other, a couple blushing at the cute girl on the large pinned-up paper. Other passersby wondered aloud who this young diva was. So there were some people like Ichigo who had never heard of her before in this town. Linnette's reputation was spreading faster than any of them had expected. She was already known in big cities, but she was still a new name in places like Karakura. To some of the younger children, her name meant little compared to someone like Kanonji. Ichigo almost bumped into a young girl holding a candy bar in her hand. He looked around, noticing that several other people around him, mostly children, held similar bars. Long-legged pinup girls were handing them out to passersby as they entered the park near the temporary stage. The majority of the people filing in seemed more interested in the freebies than the performance. They had stands set up everywhere, handing out goodies to the crowd. There were even food stands for those who wanted something to munch on before the show and drinks as well.

But Ichigo had no interest in them. He was too busy keeping an eye out for the girl. That threat she gave him was still buzzing around in his head. What should he do?

Hitsugaya and the others were watching the surroundings closely, waiting. Rukia stood by Ichigo the entire time as a kind of bodyguard or lookout. Despite this, Ichigo still didn't feel very safe. All he could think about was her. He stood in the middle of the crowd, unmoving, leading many to think that he was just another daydreamer. Ignoring the onlookers, he pressed through the crowd and over to a bench under a tree near the back where no one was around. He sat in the shade and let out a deep breath. Her show was an hour away. It was coming up faster than he had hoped.

"Ichigo?" Rukia sat down next to him on the bench. "They're going to have a couple other acts come on before her, I heard. We've got some time."

"Goody," he said grimly.

"Don't be like that. With Captain Hitsugaya around and all the others, you have nothing to worry about."

"You say that, but I don't believe you…"

"Ichi-"

"Sample?" A woman offered Ichigo and Rukia a candy bar with a smile.

"No, thanks."

"Not now."

She instead passed it to a curious Yumichika, who took it in both hands and turned it over and over again. He looked at Ichigo. "Say, how do I open this?"

"You just tear the package open and eat the candy inside."

He looked at the jagged ends of the wrapper and gave them a tug. Nothing happened, but when he tore it instead as Ichigo told him to do, the package opened revealing the candy inside. "My, these things are small…" He held it up for the others to see. It was only the size of his pinky. He showed it to Ikkaku. "Want some?"

"I hate sweets."

"Suit yourself." He took a bite. "Mm! This is good! Not too sweet and just the right texture. Creamy, too."

"Glad to hear it."

"Captain! Look what I found!" Rangiku hurried over to the group, pulling Hitsugaya behind her. "Look! I see you guys got some, too." She held up her own candy bar. "Isn't it neat? Can you believe that they're just giving these away. Too bad it's only one per person or I would have stalked up."

Hitsugaya groaned. "Can't you see that I was in the middle of an investigation?"

She patted him on the back. "Oh, don't be like that! Try one!"

"I told you, I don't care for sweets."

"Just a bite?"

"I said-" She cut him off by sticking the unwrapped candy in his open mouth. He choked a little bit, but ended up chewing and swallowing the thing to clear his airway.

"Like it?"

He shot her a look.

She pouted.

Hitsugaya licked his lips and marched away. "Now I've got to get a drink to wash that taste out of my mouth."

Rangiku whined. "Oh, so it's no good after all? No wonder they were free. No sense in me getting one if it's that bad."

"So you mean to tell me that I was your guinea pig?"

"Well, I had to know if it was good to eat or not!" Rangiku chased after him. "Come on! Don't be mad!"

"Too late!"

X

After watching the small acts of a comedy routine, a juggling act and short skit involving an arguing old couple, it was time for the main attraction. The lights dimmed for a moment while the star made her entrance. The stage, cloaked in evening darkness, was suddenly flushed with light. The lights all pointed to a single spot on the stage where a girl stood alone. Linnette was wearing a beautiful blue dress, the color of an ocean, her long hair loose and flowing. Her gaze lifted to her waiting audience, eyes sparkling like gemstones.

Ichigo's heart skipped a beat. This was it. There was no musical accompaniment to signify the start, which took the audience by surprise. It only took a moment for the chatty crowd to become completely silent as they anticipated the first notes from her glossy pink lips. The songstress calmly looked across her audience and then parted her lips.

Her beautiful voice took hold of each member in turn as they stared up at her openmouthed. There were no words to the first notes of her song, but a beautiful sound. A sound unlike anything they had ever heard before in their lives.

Ichigo took this chance to make his getaway. As he slipped through the crowd of stunned listeners, suddenly his surroundings grew dim. Individual faces in the crowd surrounding him blended together into a massive fog. He got dizzy and had to lean over, both hands on his knees. _This feeling..! _It wasn't like before. Could it be that this wasn't the song he dreaded so much?

There was a low howl from above, causing Hitsugaya and his team to look up at the dark sky.

"Hollows…"

Rukia took out her beloved Chappy and left her gigai behind. Hitsugaya and his team did the same. Their faux bodies were told to run and hide someplace safe until this mess was over.

The Hollows were coming closer to the park and its occupants. They weren't attacking anyone yet, but their presence alone was a threat. They had to be taken care of immediately.

That was when her true song began.

Ichigo found himself unable to move an inch. His body went into complete paralysis again. His vision was failing him. This wasn't good. He could hear his Hollow calling out already. _Sing… Sing for me!_ There wasn't anything that he could do. He was finished. He felt Rukia at his side, telling him to fight it.

"Resist, Ichigo. Come on!"

Easier said than done. In fact, he no longer remembered where he was or what was going on. And in his last moment of conscious thought, he couldn't even remember his own name.

Hitsugaya pointed up at the gathering Hollows. "Take care of…" His head began to spin. He wobbled and swayed, unable to tell up from down. He gave his head a shake, trying to remain standing.

"Are you ok?" Ikkaku asked, but not to the young captain. He was looking at Yumichika who had stopped moving and was holding his head in his hand.

"I… feel strange…" His voice sounded distant and airy, as if he were fighting to remain conscious after a heavy blow to the head.

The crowd worked itself into a frenzy, punching, kicking and clawing at anyone they could get their hands on. The teenage boys from earlier were now in a brawl with each other, showing no signs of holding back. A couple of men near the stage put each other in a headlock and tried to pull the other one down with him. Women screamed and tried to move out of the way as more fights broke out around them. Children either ran screaming in terror or were the ones brawling themselves. Chaos everywhere. Pandemonium every each way they turned and the fights were growing worse. But the concert never ceased. The girl on stage continued to sing, her voice growing louder with every verse.

"What's going on? What's happening?" Rangiku asked looking around at the people surrounding them. "Why are they all fighting each other like this?"

"Who cares?" Ikkaku asked. "At least they're too busy to notice anything else. Not that it matters since they can't even see us."

"Captain!" Rangiku rushed over to her captain as he fell to his knees holding his head in his hands. She knelt next to him and placed a comforting hand on his back. "Are you alright?"

"I… I don't feel like myself…" His body wouldn't stop shaking. "I… don't under… stand..!"

"Captain..?" Rangiku didn't know what to do and his body had gone into spasms.

"My body feels like it's going to split! My chest feels like it's burning up." He rubbed the spot over his heart, indicating where his pain was.

Yumichika dropped his sword to the ground, staggering about. "It… hurts..!"

"Ikkaku, something's wrong!" Rangiku called to him. Then she turned back to Hitsugaya. "There, there… We'll get you help. I promise. I don't understand what's going on but…"

She was just trying to comfort him, but it didn't appear to be working. His whole body shook violently as he knelt hunched over in the grass.

"Are you sick? I can get you some water. Or…"

Hitsugaya suddenly stopped shaking. He raised his head slowly, eyes wide open, staring straight ahead. Then they turned to his lieutenant. They were wide and yellow.

"Wha..?"

"AAURGH!" Yumichika threw back his head and screamed. He clutched his head in both hands as if trying to keep his skull from splitting. His screams grew louder. And as he screamed, his body started to change. His hair grew long and jagged, his nails sharpened and extended like claws. His normally purple eyes changed to a haunting yellow and a white mask started to form over his face.

Rangiku gawked in horror. "What's… happening?"

"Get… away…" Hitsugaya's voice was hoarse and creaking. "Get…" He stopped and stared at her. He no longer recognized this woman kneeling down next to him. He didn't know where he was. He couldn't even remember his name or knew if he had one. Who was he? His moment of confusion ended when his transformation started as well.

"Cap-?"

The boy's back split open and steel-colored skin swelled though it, causing her to reassess her earlier opinion of him being sick. What arose was a larger than a human man. A long tail grew out of the back of his torn pants and gained long claws on the ends of his lizard-like hands. Hitsugaya donned a white mask as well, his resembling that of a dragon. He opened his wide mouth with a roar.

"H- Hollows!"

Rukia jumped. "What?"

"Yeah!" She spun around in time to see Ichigo getting to his feet, twisted smile in place. "Yes! Yes! YES! It's about time! I've been wanting for this!"

"Oh, no!" Rukia was helpless to stop it. Ichigo's Hollow had taken over anyway.

The Hollows looked around at the crowd hungrily. Hitsugaya's monstrous form turned and pounced towards a couple running for the exit. Ikkaku jumped up and forced him back with his sheath. A second Hollow showed up, this one looking like a demonic peacock. It was Yumichika. Or at least, what used to be. It attacked Ikkaku with everything it had, howling and snapping its white beak.

"Damn it!" Ikkaku jumped back, sword raised.

"Captain! What's happened to you? It's me! Don't you know who I am anymore?" Rangiku's cries fell on deaf ears. Hitsugaya was no longer a Soul Reaper. He was no longer himself. He didn't even remember who he was. He was just a mindless killing machine. And the only thing he was interested in now was this woman's flesh. He raised his claws. "Captain, don't!"

He attacked only to have Ikkaku knock him aside once more. "What are you doing just standing there like that?"

Still in shock, Rangiku looked from the Hollow back to Ikkaku. "But…"

"We have to fight them."

She looked at him in horror. "What?"

"We have no choice. They're Hollows now." He held his sword tightly, but his hand was trembling. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but… If this is what it comes down to…"

"No, I can't! I won't! He's still my captain! There must be something that we can do!"

Ichigo started to attack Rukia with all he had in this weak human body. He managed to land a few good punches on her skinny body before she got serious. She pulled out her sword, warning him to stop. "Don't make me do it, Ichigo!"

He sneered at her empty threat. "Try it! I'd like to see!" He pounced on her and pinned her to the ground. "Go ahead! Make my night!" He cackled like a madman, slobbering on her face and neck. She struggled and kicked him, but that only provoked him into biting her arm. He tasted the blood on his teeth with a smile. "Mmm… You taste good..!"

Before he could attack again, he was thrown off by a Qunicy. Uryu had noticed the gathering of Hollows from his spot in the back and rushed down as quickly as he could. He raised his arrow at a Hollow towering above the crowd and shot it dead. Then he pointed his weapon at the dragon-like Hollow near Rangiku.

"No, stop!" Rukia shouted and grabbed Uryu's arm. "That's Hitsugaya! You can't shoot him!"

"What?" He lowered his weapon. "How did this happen?"

"I don't know! But we can't kill them. Once her song ends they always go back to normal."

"Even Soul Reapers?"

She thought about it. "I'm not sure. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure that-"

Uryu pushed her aside as Ichigo attacked once again. He rolled in the grass, knocking a half-eaten candy bar out of his pants pocket. He stood up and pointed an arrow at Ichigo who laughed.

"Go ahead! Shoot me dead!"

He couldn't do it and this Hollow knew it. Ichigo jumped on Uryu and ripped the shirt off his back. He scratched the exposed skin with his nails drawing blood and shattered Uryu's glasses with a blow to the face.

At the same time surrounding concertgoers had panicked as they realized what was going on. Frantic shrieks had echoed out from different areas of the audience. At least five or six Hollows had appeared within the crowd of several hundred people. But that wasn't the cause of their screams. It was the increasingly violent actions of the other concertgoers. A moment ago they were simply punching and kicking each other. Now the people were out for blood. They were now biting and clawing at each other, trying to tear the other's body apart like a wild animal. Children cried for their families, dangerously close to the action. Those in the audience who could see the Hollows as well as the brutal fights rushed in confusion toward the entrance gate, desperate to escape. People were already being crushed in the stampede of people. People tossed aside the merchandise they had collected, needing their hands free to defend themselves. It was a madhouse. Even the police couldn't stop the fighting, getting caught up and taken down in it as well.

Rukia tried to stop the humans from fighting anyway she could as a Soul Reaper, but nothing worked. They were all out of control. Ichigo had grown more violent as well. He let out a huge shriek of insane pleasure and slammed into Uryu with all his might.

"Ichigo! Stop it!"

Uryu's face was covered in blood. Ichigo had done a number on him. And he was still holding back! Shards of glass from his glasses were embedded in his face. He was forced to keep his right eye shut in order to keep more fragments from falling into it. Unable to stand it anymore, Uryu threw his useless glasses aside in the grass and held up his arm as if to fire.

Ichigo hunched over like a beast, ready to attack once again. He ran his tongue over his white teeth and hissed.

Uryu fired a warning shot at Ichigo's feet, but without his glasses, his vision was blurred and fired the arrow too short. Ichigo felt no threat. Uryu was helpless in his opinion. He lowered himself just a little further and then leapt forward. Unable to dodge, Uryu took the full force of the hit to his chest and toppled over backwards. Ichigo pinned him down and leaned into his face in the grass. He looked like he was ready to eat him.

"Ichigo, get off him!" Rukia rushed forward, but was forced back when Hitsugaya choose to attack.

He was snapping at Rangiku, unable to remember anything about her or himself. As far as he knew, he was a Hollow. And as far as he was concerned, she was food. A moment ago, he had been a normal Soul Reaper. But now all he was focused on was the blood of the person before him. He wanted to eat her.

Rangiku held her sword in her hands but refused to use it on her captain. She knew he wasn't totally lost. He was still in there somewhere. She couldn't just kill him. Not like this! "Captain, please! Try to remember me! Remember who you are! Please! It's me! Rangiku! Snap out of this!"

He roared and tried to take a bite out of her leg. He whipped his tail around and slashed at her as she jumped out of the way. His long claws hit her sword with a clang.

"Please, captain!"

He wasn't her captain anymore.

Ikkaku was having his own problems with Yumichika. As it turned out, he was an even greater fighter as a Hollow. He wasn't afraid to unleash his true strength and held nothing back. He managed to injure Ikkaku a couple of times before getting hit himself on the shoulder. But Ikkaku wasn't weak either. He was holding back a little. He didn't mean to. He was a warrior after all. But his heart just couldn't bring him to kill his best friend. Somewhere in his heart and in the back of his mind, he knew that there was a way to save him from this Hollowfication. But how? And why did this happen? How did he turn into a Hollow? And why so quickly?

"Permissum mihi take vos!

Permissum mihi usus vos!

Operor ut Inquam.  
Vos es mei!"

Her song reached its end once more. And once again, just as before, she paid no attention to the Hollows or the violent crowd. It was as if she had expected this. She smiled at Ichigo and what he was doing to Uryu.

"I think I proved my point."

She then turned back to the microphone and sang another song. A wordless tune.

Ichigo was just about to rip Uryu's face off when he heard it. He raised his head and looked up at the crowd. He watched her sing her pleasant song.

The Hollows around them began to retreat back where they had come from. The two fighting the Soul Reapers stopped their attack and looked up. Yumichika gave a soft growl And the spikes on his arms began to shrink away. Hitsugaya's tail gave a wag and then stopped moving. They stared up at the singer on stage.

Ichigo's dark eyes softened. A small smile played across his face as he listened. "Hm. How could I refuse?"

Uryu squinted up at him, wondering what he was talking about.

Ichigo looked back at him, the yellow fading from his eyes. "Looks like the fun is over. But I have a feeling we'll play again soon. As long as she allows it. Until then…" His eyes closed as the last bit of black faded away and fell over onto Uryu's chest.

Ikkaku blinked and noticed a barrier forming around the two Hollows in front of him. It looked like a large glass box.

"I used Kyomon around them." Rangiku put her sword away. "It was the only thing I could think of to seal them away so they wouldn't hurt anyone else. I don't know if-"

She looked back at the two in the barrier slowly shrinking back to their original sizes. Their masks vanished and their bodies returned to normal. Their clothes were torn, but other than that, they appeared to be fine. In fact, they both looked as if they were sleeping. They were both face-down in the grass, looking like their old selves again.

"What..?" She hurried over to the barrier, peering in on them. "They're… but how..? What just happened?"

"Wait, so they're not Hollows anymore?" Ikkaku was just as confused as she was.

Rukia helped Ichigo sit up and tried to wake him. It took her a few tries, but soon his brown eyes were open and looking at her.

"Hm… Rukia?" He sat straight up and looked wildly around. "Wha… What just happened? How did I..?" He saw her battered face and torn sleeve. "Did I..?" He nearly fell over with shock when he saw Uryu's condition. His face was covered in blood and so was his back and chest, shirt torn right off his body. He was picking the glass out of his face with his fingers and searching for his broken glasses with his other hand.

Rukia tried to comfort him. "Ichigo… We-"

He stood up in an instant and looked around at the crowd. Many of them were hurt badly as well and Hitsugaya and Yumichika were out cold in some sort of glass barrier, their clothes torn to tatters. "Did I… Do this..?"

"No, not all of it." Rukia told him.

"But Uryu… and you…"

She hesitated then… "Yes. You did."

This was what she meant when she said that things would get worse if he refused. He was hurting his own friends without even knowing it. He couldn't stop his Hollow and he was helpless to block out her voice. As long as she sang… Ichigo fell to his knees, hanging his head. He had no choice. She held all the cards. Linnette was in charge. She made him do this. She did! She told him that unless he came with her it would happen again and next time, he may end up killing someone. What if his sisters had been here with him? What if Orihime had seen him go crazy the way that he did? He could never forgive himself if something had happened to any of them.

Rangiku flagged Rukia over and pointed to the two in the barrier. "What happened to them? Why did they become Hollows for a minute? And why are they back to normal now? What's going on?"

"I thought that was the reason why you were here in the first place. To get answers."

"I know, but…" She looked back at her captain. "I've never seen this before. I don't know what to do or what to think… Did he really become a Hollow? Yumichika, too?"

"I don't know. Maybe not full Hollows. Once that happens, they can never go back to normal. And it doesn't happen that quickly anyway. It could have been some sort of trick. By why them and no one else? And why did everyone start fighting again like they did before at the school? None of this is adding up. But right now…" She looked around. "Ichigo?" He wasn't with them anymore. "Ichigo? Where are you? Where'd you go? Ichigo?"

X

He pushed his way through the confused crowd and over to a familiar trailer. He pounded on the door with his fist.

Victor answered with a smile, expecting him. "So you're back."

Ichigo didn't look at him. Instead, he choose to keep his head down. Keeping his eyes on the metal steps he said bitterly, "I came to see her."

His smile spread. "I know why you came." He stepped aside, showing him inside. "Come in."

Ichigo was lead over to a chair facing her couch. Her trailer was filled with even more flowers and gifts from before. Some young boys had even written her love letters, attaching them to large teddy bears or bouquets of flowers. A large pile of letters and colorful cards lay in a pile in an armchair, tossed carelessly by Linnette no doubt. His eyes were then drawn to the girl sitting in the middle of the couch, clutching a large stuffed pink rabbit in her arms like a child. She was still wearing that chilling smile.

"Well?" she drawled. "What have you decided?"

Ichigo avoided her eyes, running his options over and over again in his mind. What choice did he have? Every time she sang, his Hollow would be unleashed. When that happened, he was helpless to stop it. He blacked out so thoroughly that he failed to regain control until after her song had ended. While his Hollow was freed, he could make him do whatever he wanted. He couldn't stop him. He was helpless. Covering his ears didn't work. Running away was useless. All he had to do was hear a single note, and he was lost. All she needed to do was open her mouth. She had two bodyguards who were always with her and protected her from any danger. She could not only summon Hollows, but could also control them as well by the look of things. Being human meant that he couldn't kill her. Even if he were to try, she was famous. A rising star. People knew who she was and she never went anywhere without someone looking at her. Crowds of people would gather whenever she was near and people with cameras followed her around wherever she went. She had fans and publicity. Trying to kill her would be a problem.

She had given him a choice. That's what tonight was about. It was to prove to him that she meant business and could do it. He saw the results with his own eyes. He had hurt Rukia and seriously injured Uryu. And that was just a warning. There was no doubt in his mind that she could make him kill someone. Next time, he may not be so lucky. Next time, it could be his sisters, or his friends. Chad was as sturdy as a rock so he didn't worry that much about him. But what about Orihime? He had let her get hurt before because of his Hollow. He wasn't about to let that happen again. He couldn't bear it. What if he killed someone? He wouldn't allow it.

What it all came down to was this: join her and she would spare his loved ones, refuse and end up killing them. He chose the ladder.

"I'll come with you. But only if you promise to leave Karakura and not allow my Hollow to be released. I'll only come with you if you can promise that my friends and family won't be harmed."

He heard her smirk. "Very well. As long as you serve me and stay at my side like a good boy, I will not allow your Hollow to be released. And in return for your loyalty, your friends and family will not be harmed. We will leave Karakura Town tonight." She snapped her fingers. "Cedric, bring the limo around. We're going."

"Yes, miss."

Ichigo felt sick to his stomach.

* * *

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

It was all decided that night. Ichigo was loaded into the long black limo with the three people he was now forced to call his new family. He kept his eyes down the whole way out of Karakura, looking up only once to watch the town's sign shrink away into the distance. He watched his home town fade away out the window and then returned his gaze to the limo's floor. Linnette fascinated herself with the mini bar that she couldn't drink from, being not of age yet and stared out the window. Bored, she started to play with some of the buttons, rolling down windows and adjusting the air with her fingertips.

When they finally stopped, Ichigo was told to get out first. He was led by Cedric to a trailer of his own and shown inside. This trailer was much smaller than Linnette's but it was a good size. It looked new. It was very clean and had already been stocked for him. A mini fridge was packed with all his favorite snacks and at least a dozen water bottles. On top rested a basket of potato chips and a couple of sodas. A bowl of fruit sat on the small table drilled into the wall of the trailer. He had a shower and a working toilet and two sinks, one in the small bathroom and the other in the tiny kitchen area. This all looked very expensive to Ichigo, despite the small space. After all, it was only a trailer. There was a flat screen TV hanging above the fridge, turned so that it faced both the table and the small couch. Ichigo pulled aside a long purple curtain in the back and discovered his bed. It was bigger than the bed he had back home and it had a lot more pillows. What he didn't particularly care for were the stuffed animals piled up on the pillows. The bed took up most of the space behind the curtain, leaving no room for any other furniture. But there was a small closet just outside the bedroom, packed full of new clothes just for him, much of which were to his taste.

Though this trailer was very nice and packed with all sorts of nice things just for him, it didn't hide the truth. This was no trailer, it was a cage. Doll it up all you like and make it nice, it was still a prison for him.

Ichigo threw himself down on the large bed and buried is face in the surprisingly soft mattress. What was he going to do now? He hadn't thought this out yet. The first step was to get the danger out of his home town. That much was done. He had agreed to come with her on the condition that she leave and not harm his friends and family. He also made her promise not to turn him into a Hollow again. As long as he stayed, they would be safe and his Hollow would remain locked up.

But now what? How was he going to stop her? How was he going to get back home? He had no intention of living with her for the rest of his life. But he was helpless. If he became a Soul Reaper, the next time she sang, his Hollow transformation would be worse. Much worse. Even if that wasn't an issue, it was still impossible for him to make the change. He had left home without telling anyone and without bringing his Soul Badge. He didn't even have Kon with him. He had no way of becoming a Soul Reaper now. He was stuck as a human. A defenseless human. What was he going to do now?

A shadow cast across his back and he looked up. Linnette was standing at the foot of his bed smiling. He narrowed his eye at her viciously. She pouted childishly. "Aw, don't look so scary, Ichigo."

He sat up, glaring at her.

"Don't you like the trailer I had made up for you? Is it to your liking?"

"No," he answered bitterly.

"Aw, why not?"

"Because this will never be my home." His gaze grew colder as he looked upon her face. "I only agreed to come with you to protect my family. That's it. Got it? I hate you."

She smiled again. "But why? I gave you a nice big trailer to live in. I got you all sorts of yummy foods and all the beautiful clothes you could ever want. You don't have to do anything anymore. No more school or Soul Reaper duty. You never have to get a job. You'll stay with me forever."

He couldn't stand that look of hers anymore. Ichigo leapt off the bed to attack her. He didn't even get close. He blinked and suddenly found himself restrained by Cedric. He stood between Linnette and Ichigo, arms wrapped around his fists, holding him back. Victor was standing just behind Linnette as well, hand on her shoulder.

"Is this brute giving you trouble, dear?"

She smiled and turned away. "No. We were just talking. But I am glad that you're here. You just proved my point."

Cedric twisted Ichigo's arms back behind his body, forcing him to his knees before Linnette.

"See now, Ichigo?" She stood in front of him. "I don't need to sing in order to stop you. I have them. They'll protect me from any danger. Including you. They'll be here in a heartbeat."

_How the hell did they do that? _Ichigo thought frantically. _They weren't here a second ago. How did they get in here so fast like that?_ They were both outside the trailer. The doors were closed. The halls in the trailer were narrow. These men were big and she was standing in the doorway. How in the world did they manage to get in here and stand between them like that? It was impossible no matter which way he looked at it.

Linnette turned and started out the door. "I'm hungry, Victor. I want some food."

"Of course. Right away." He looked back at Ichigo with a smirk and then followed her out the door of the trailer.

Cedric gave Ichigo's arm one final twist before letting him go. "We're always watching, boy. Remember that. If you're any threat to her, I'll see to it that you are stopped. You've been warned." He threw Ichigo a glance as he made for the door. "The only reason why I didn't kill you then was because she asked that I didn't. She wants you at her side. But give her a reason and…"

"Then maybe I will!" Ichigo never knew when to keep his mouth shut. "Maybe I'll just make her hate me and then she'll let me go! Ever think of that?"

Cedric smirked softly. "It is not only you that she likes. She fancies your Hollow as well."

Ichigo froze, unable to come up with anything more to say or do.

"If you give her a reason to hate you, she'll no longer have a reason to keep you around, sure. But that just means that she'll just have to unleash your Hollow again and keep him around for a while. That's all. Just give her a reason to sing." With that, he left the trailer.

X

Hitsugaya's head throbbed. He felt terrible. His whole body felt weak and heavy. Slowly, he sat up and looked around. "Huh?" This wasn't the park. He was in someone's house. And by the look of things, it was daytime. How did he get here? What happened last night? Or was it even last night? What time was it? What day was it? What was going on?

"I've tried Ichigo's house. They haven't seen him since last night. No one has. School, same thing. He's nowhere to be found. He's long gone, wherever he is."

"Damn. Where could he be?"

"Do you think that he was kidnapped or something?"

"Captain!" Rangiku had just noticed her captain getting up.

Hitsugaya moved to get up, but his hand bounced against an invisible wall. "What the..? A kido? What is this? What's going on?" It only took him a moment to figure out that he was trapped inside of a barrier. "What am I doing in this thing?"

Yumichika, who was laying on the floor next to him, sat up rubbing his head. "Ow, my head..! What happened last night? I feel awful." He looked around. "Huh? Why are we..? What are we doing in this barrier?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

"Captain, we did it for your protection as well as ours."

Hitsugaya looked at her. "What are you talking about? And where are we anyway?"

"My place," Kisuke stepped out from behind a door. "Sorry about all this. But we had to keep you two in there until we were sure that you were no longer a threat."

The barrier was taken down a moment later. Hitsugaya was examined first. Kisuke shined a light into his eyes and turned his head this way and that. The older man touched his body, feeling his chest and back with his hand.

"What's all this about?"

Kisuke moved over to Yumichika next and did the same. "They're good."

"Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"

Rangiku sat beside him on the floor putting a hand on his back. "Sir, don't you remember anything?"

"About what?"

"Last night?"

He tried to think. His memory blank was bothering him before, but now he knew that he was really missing something important. "I… don't know. I can't really remember."

"What do you remember?" Kisuke asked.

"Uh…" He thought hard. "I… I remember being in the park. And I remember keeping a look out for anything funny. I remember it getting dark. And I also remember those acts that came on. And…" His mind was so fuzzy.

"You felt strange."

His lieutenant's words helped to jar up some more memories in his empty head. "Yeah… I remember feeling really weird. I… I think I was dizzy or something… I don't really know. But I think… I think I remember… Hollows… Yes, yes! There were Hollows there, weren't there? I remember leaving my gigai and telling you guys to go after them before they attacked the people. And then I…" That was as far back as he could remember. "I don't know after that. Everything's sort of blurry… I don't… know."

"I don't know what happened either," Yumichika added. "After leaving my gigai, I don't remember a thing. Did something happen? I think I was a little lightheaded back there. I didn't feel quite like myself."

"You both turned into Hollows," Kisuke said bluntly.

This caused the two to jump. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Just what I said. Once Linnette's act started and you two left your gigais, you transformed into Hollows."

Hitsugaya was beside himself. "But… But- but how can that be? H- how did that happen?"

"People don't just turn into Hollows," Yumichika said. "And more to the point, we're Soul Reapers. Why would we turn into Hollows unless we were to obtain Hollow powers? It doesn't make sense! We never did anything that would cause that to happen!"

"Settle down, settle down," Kisuke told them. "You're not the only ones. Ichigo went Hollow, too."

"Yes, but he's a Vizard, isn't he? He also has the powers of-"

"No, he went Hollow against his will. But because he was still human at the time, he didn't transform all the way. He-"

"I just want a straight answer and I want it now!" Hitsugaya shouted over everyone else. "Now, someone please tell me what the hell happened to us! Why did we turn into Hollows? What caused it?"

Kisuke answered without hesitation. "It was Linnette's singing."

Everyone was quiet while he spoke.

"Rukia told me about it the first time she saw it happen with Ichigo. She said that he was perfectly normal until he heard her sing. He was only able to return to normal after her song had stopped. Much like you two. You only returned to normal when she stopped singing."

Rukia nodded. "His Hollow had taken over completely. He was just like you two when he woke up. He couldn't remember anything. He had no idea what he did while his Hollow was in control."

"Then you didn't you knock him out the second he started to change?"

"Because he was asleep at the time. Apparently her voice will reach him even if he is unconscious. He's even tried plugging his ears. That didn't work either. There's no way to stop it once it starts."

Hitsugaya pulled out his Soul Pager. "I have to inform the Soul Society of this."

Kisuke's hand whipped out and forced the phone down. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Why not? It's our mission to find out the cause of this and now that we have an answer…"

"True. But we can't tell them the details."

"Why not?"

"Because you two turned into Hollows. It's illegal to obtain Hollow powers, willingly or not. If you tell the Head Captain what's happened, the two of you will be banished or even executed."

Hitsugaya's pager fell out of his hand. He had completely forgotten about that. "Then what do we do?"

"On the plus side, this doesn't seem to be permanent. You did change back the minute she stopped singing. Which means that this is reversible. You may be able to return to the Soul Society without anyone having to know about this. This appears to be just a spell of some kind."

"Then why did they change and not us?" Rangiku asked.

"That's a good question. I'll have to run some tests to see what's up. In the meantime, however, the two of you will have to stay put. I can't have you running off somewhere only to transform again."

"We also need to find out what happened to Ichigo," Rukia added. "I hope he's alright."

X

Ichigo smothered himself into the pillow, unable to think of a way out of this. He had to come up with a plan. How was he going to get home and away from this girl? More importantly, how was he going to stop her from continuing what she was doing? She could control Hollows. It was only a matter of time before someone got hurt because of it. He had no intention of staying with her. But between her voice, her bodyguards, the innocent people around them, the fact that he was in a foreign land and the fact that he couldn't turn into a Soul Reaper now, things weren't looking too good for him.

"I guess… all I can do is wait it out." Ichigo rolled onto his back and looked up at the tiled ceiling. "I suppose I could wait for the right moment to strike and let that be it. Yeah, that could work. I'll just wait until her back is turned and run like hell. God knows I can't stay here forever."

His trailer door opened and he heard someone walking up towards the back of the trailer. With no door to knock on, the curtain was pulled back revealing Cedric. "Get up and get dressed. We're going to dinner."

Ichigo sat up. "What does it look like?" He was referring to his street clothes.

The taller man shook his head. "No. Good clothes. This dinner is important. You'll find something in your closet. Hurry up. Be ready in ten minutes. And do something with that hair." He turned and left.

Ichigo ran a hand through his orange hair. "What's wrong with my hair?" he wondered. He went over to his closet and pulled the door open. In the back of his closet was a brand new suit and tie. He hated wearing those things. But he had no choice. He took it off the hook and put it on.

After he was properly dressed, he put on a new pair of black polished shoes and went out the door. They were parked in an empty parking lot somewhere. Ichigo looked around at all the tall buildings but couldn't figure out where this was. He heard his name being called and looked over to a stretch limo where Linnette stood waving at him. He grudgingly walked over to her. They were all loaded into the limo and drove off down another street.

"Why the hell did we park there? There's no one around."

"Exactly." Victor explained. "If we draw too much attention to ourselves by leaving our trailers parked in a crowded parking lot, the paparazzi will be swarming all over us. We'll never be rid of them. They're so tiresome."

Ichigo looked out the window. "Seems strange to me to park somewhere else far away from where you want to go and drive another car just to go to dinner."

Victor chuckled. "You'll find out soon enough."

The limo stopped outside of a very expensive looking restaurant. No wonder he was asked to dress up. Linnette's two servants stepped out before her to help her out. Ichigo went out last and shut the limo door as it drove off. They walked under the white roof across a red carpet and up to the front doors where a man was waiting for them. Victor held up a card to the man's face. "Party of seven, I believe."

"Yes, they're waiting for you."

Linnette twirled about in her blue dress and played with a stand of her hair. Then they were shown inside and over to a table in the back. A private room. Linnette seemed used to all this high class, but Ichigo wasn't. It made him very uncomfortable. They were shown to a table with a clean white tablecloth and multiple plants and sliver wear. Ichigo was told to sit on Linnette's right while Victor sat on her left next to Cedric. The soup and salad were already prepared and waiting for them on the plates in front of them.

"Sorry we took so long to get here," Victor apologized to a woman and two men sitting on the other side of the table.

"Not at all. I'm glad you could come. I've been wanting to meet her for some time."

Everyone was so dressed up and knew how to handle their dishes, making Ichigo feel really out of place. He had no idea what spoon to use for his soup. He wasn't even sure what kind of soup it was. Ichigo stirred the greenish broth with his spoon and picked at the leaves swimming around inside.

"What is this stuff, anyway?" he asked, not caring how stupid he sounded in front of these people.

"It's okroshka made with kvass," Victor answered.

Ichigo tried a spoonful only to let it drip back out his mouth and into the bowl again. How did people eat stuff like this? It tasted horrible! But no one else seemed to mind the taste. Victor's bowl was already empty and so were the other two men's sitting next to the plump woman in red.

"So, I understand that you would like to perform on Broadway?"

"Uh-huh." Linnette was putting on the sweet act again.

"I understand that you have other performances going on at this time, but could you please set aside some time for her? She'll be brilliant."

"I'm sure of that, Victor, but…" The woman looked at her gentlemen friends next to her. "We'll have to make arrangements. I'll see if we can move a few things. But I've never seen her in person before. Though, I liked what I saw on the news a few nights ago. Wasn't she in Japan not too long ago?"

"Yes. We just came from there."

The woman looked at Ichigo. "Is that where he came from?"

Ichigo looked up, half listening to their conversation. "Huh?"

She looked back at Victor. "Sorry, was I..?"

"No, no. It's nothing. This is Ichigo Kurosaki. He's agreed to come along with us on the road."

"Have you now?"

Ichigo fought the urge not to moan, but he couldn't hid the stiffness in his jaw as he answered. "Yes."

"Very nice."

They went back to talking about business while Ichigo struggled to figure out how he was supposed to eat this stuff. Ichigo kept using the wrong utensils, causing some young garcons to give him strange looks. He looked left to see how Linnette was fairing. She was doing very well. In fact, she was eating enough food for five people. He had no idea such a tiny girl could eat so much. There was already a white tower of plates waiting to be picked up in front of her as she worked on her next dish. She attacked her meal, food quickly disappearing from the plate. Her two bodyguards didn't seem at all surprised by this. Apparently, this spectacle was normal to them. Her fork never stopped moving as she finished off one gourmet dish after another. She ate like there was no tomorrow, but the two men alongside her hardly ate anything. So far all they had eaten was the soup.

Ichigo had stopped trying to figure out this forks and just ate the way he felt would be easiest. The pirozhki was pretty good. And now he knew what a terrine was: a French forcemeat loaf that is served at room temperature. It was pretty good. Too bad you didn't get much for the money you spend. Oh, well. It wasn't coming out of his wallet.

Finally, it was time for dessert. They were given different menus for that. Ichigo didn't have much of a sweet tooth, but some of these things looked too good to pass up. He wanted to try the ice cream with swirl pound cake and hot fudge sauce. Linnette decided on a mountain of ice cream with cake, nuts, hot fudge, fresh fruit, whipped cream and sprinkles. It looked so good. Ichigo still couldn't believe that she could eat so much.

Victor raised his champagne glass. "I'll be more than happy to show off her talent a little more, madam. We have a couple of other shows booked for the next week. We'll be in New York by that time and we can make a decision from there. By that time you should have seen plenty of what she can do. I have no doubt that she'll perform in New York in no time at all."

"Don't get cocky, Victor. You still have to convince me that she is worthy enough. I'm not pushing my shows aside until I am one hundred percent convinced that she'll bring in more money than the other shows we have going on."

"Trust me. By the time she's finished, she'll have made more money than Cats, Wicked and The Lion King combined."

"Really?" she laughed. "We'll see about that. After all, she's so young. I don't want people to think it's some sort of joke. Such a little girl and everything. The audience will laugh her off the stage before she even gets started."

"Now, that's not very nice." Victor smiled at the girl on his left. "She won't disappoint you. I promise that much. By the end of the month, everyone will know her name. And by the end of this week, she'll be twice as famous as she already is. You'll be begging her to be up on your stage in Broadway in no time."

"We'll see about that."

While the adults went on speaking, Ichigo discreetly slipped a knife from the table into his pants pocket. He may not have his usual sword, but at least now he had a weapon of some kind.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

Hitsugaya drummed his fingers on the floor waiting for Kisuke to finish his tests. Throughout the day, it had been nothing but poking, prodding, jabbing, stabbing and twisting. Kisuke's tests were all very painful and, in Hitsugaya's opinion, unnecessary. When they weren't being jabbed full of needles or twisted into painful positions, the two were confined in a small barrier in the back of the shop.

"How much longer are we going to be in here?" Yumichika finally asked.

"Until I can find a cause for why you two transformed the way you did. And so far, I'm not finding anything in particular. You may be here for a while."

Jinta entered the room chewing on a candy bar and looking for some entertainment. He stooped down in front of the barrier holding the two Soul Reapers and taunted them with his candy bar. "Bet you're hungry, huh?"

Hitsugaya turned away. "I don't care for sweets. Thank you."

"Aw, you're no fun." He then turned to Yumichika. "Want some, barfbag?"

Yumichika turned up his nose in an angry huff. "How dare you speak to me like that. Besides, I wouldn't eat anything that came from this vulgar establishment."

"I'm right here. I can hear everything you're saying about my shop," Kisuke threw over his shoulder.

Jinta scoffed. "Shows how much he knows. This candy bar isn't even from this shop. I got it outside the park the other day. They were just handing them out." He took another bite. "It isn't the best, though. It's too sweet. But I like it fine."

Hitsugaya turned around, putting his back to the boy. "Just keep it to yourself, then. Urahara, how much longer do we need to be in this barrier?"

"Until I can find out what triggers the transformations. I'm very sure that it's her song, but I'll have to make sure. Plus, I'm still not sure if it's a one-time deal. We still don't know if you'll transform every time you hear her sing or if it's just that one time. I need to run some more tests first."

"Aren't you done with that yet?"

Kisuke sighed. "Not quite. It's a lot to go through." He pulled out a piece of paper from a machine he was working on and read the results. "They're all inconclusive. I can't work with this at all…"

"We're going to be here forever!" Yumichika banged his head on the floor. "And where is Ikkaku, anyway?"

"He went out to help the others look for Ichigo."

Jinta finished off the candy bar and walked out of the room. "That carrot-top's helpless without us around, huh? He's probably lost somewhere."

"Jinta, that isn't very nice," Ururu told him meekly.

"Oh, shut up and sweep." He handed her a broom.

X

Linnette led the way down the long dark hallway towards the alley where the limo was parked. She skipped with every step she took, her pigtails bouncing behind her. Ichigo hated how she made herself look cute for her audience. It was all an act. Every bit of it. She was nothing short of evil.

He looked around without turning his head. Cedric was nowhere to be found, but Victor was walking behind him a good distance away. Linnette was right in front of him with her back turned. Ichigo counted their steps. He was two steps behind Linnette and Victor was at least seven steps behind him. Ichigo brushed his hand against the side of his pants, feeling the edge of the knife he had smuggled out of the restaurant.

This may have been his only chance. He had to get away. He had to stop her from singing. If he cut her throat, she would still live if it wasn't very deep, but then she would be unable to sing. Then he could escape. He didn't want to kill her. He couldn't do it. But he could stop her voice. This was his chance.

He made his move. Without making a sound, Ichigo snuck the knife out of his pocket, took two steps forward and tried to jab her throat.

Once again, he was stopped. Linnette stood exactly where she was unharmed while Cedric held Ichigo from behind and Victor grabbed the knife from his hand. Stopped yet again.

Linnette smiled. "How foolish. Brave but very foolish." She ran her fingers under Ichigo's chin sending chills down his spine. "I should punish you for that."

Crap! Was she going to sing now? He had broken the rules.

She turned away. "But I'm not feeling up for a song tonight. Let's go, boys." She snapped her fingers and they released Ichigo.

He couldn't believe his luck. Or was it luck?

Cedric opened the door to the alley and immediately, Ichigo was blinded by flashing lights and deafened by multiple voices. Confused and disoriented, Ichigo had to relay on Victor to push him towards the car. Paparazzi had found them and everyone of them wanted a shot of the rising star. They bombarded her with questioned and flashed their cameras in her face. Cedric held them back and guided her into the limo. Victor roughly shoved Ichigo into the back seat and scooted in next to him, sandwiching him between himself and Cedric. Once situated, they slammed the door shut and sped off.

Linnette looked out the window, happy and carefree, while Ichigo got hammered by her two bodyguards. Victor pulled out the same knife from before and traced Ichigo's neck with its blade. "Never again… Got it?" He jabbed the end into Ichigo's jaw.

He nodded, though he really didn't mean it. He just had to try harder. That was all.

X

Kisuke threw down his papers and turned to face the two in the small barrier. "Well, I can't find out what's doing this to you. I have no cause. However, I know that its her song that triggers it."

"And..?" Hitsugaya waited.

Kisuke shrugged. "No clue."

Rukia and the others came back at that moment. "We can't find Ichigo anywhere. His family is getting worried and Kon has no idea where to find him. None of his friends from school know anything either. We're stuck."

"That's too bad…" Kisuke removed his hat to ruffle his hair and then put it back on. "I narrowed the information down slightly, but I have one more test I'd like to run before I can conclude anything."

"Which is?"

"I want to see if they'll transform every time they hear her voice." Kisuke turned his attention to a laptop and turned the speakers up. "I found this on a website. Some kid recorded one of her concerts on his cell phone and uploaded it. Using what little I know about laptops and living technology, I've managed to edit out everything but her song. I'm going to play it and see if there's a change in these two."

Rangiku looked concerned. "Well…"

"Don't worry. The barrier will hold them and I'm only giving them a small dose. It should be fine." He looked at the captain and his cellmate. "Ready?"

"Just do it."

"Make it fast."

With a nod, Kisuke turned on the music.

"Nusquam somes,

tantum crimen nex,

meus carmen increbresco,

EGO sum questio vobis , meus diligo.

Cope per is totus,

Alveus in nox noctis,

Audite meus carmen,

Quod diligo mihi…"

At first nothing happened. But then, Hitsugaya's body went ridged. Yumichika hunched over and started to snarl. He started to grow claws and a mask started to form over both their faces. Halfway through their transformations, Kisuke shut off the music. Their masks fell apart and became regular Soul Reapers once again. But the song also seemed to have effected their minds as well. Though their bodies were back to normal, the two seemed to be very out of it. They slumped to the floor, eyes half lidded and moaning softly.

"I think they'll be fine. Just give them a minute." Kisuke closed the laptop. "It seems they'll transform every time they hear her voice. Now we know to be careful in the future."

"Do you think that-?"

"No!"

Everyone jumped and turned to Jinta standing in the doorway. He was breathing heavily as if he had just run a marathon. He held onto the door frame with one hand while letting the other dangle at his side.

"Something wrong, Jinta?"

"Turn it on… Turn it back on!" He snapped. "I need to hear it again… Once more… Just one more time…" He lunged at Kisuke and sank his nails into his legs. "I said turn it back on, now! NOW!"

Kisuke looked down at Jinta and in an instant knew what was happening.

"Now, damn you!" Jinta started screaming. "Turn it on! Make her sing again! I have… to… hear her… sing…" His grip went slack and slowly slid down the shopkeeper's leg. After a moment, he looked up with his usual expression. "What's everyone looking at?"

Ikkaku poked Jinta in the rib with his sheathed sword.

"Hey, stop that!" He batted Ikkaku away.

Kisuke picked Jinta up and carried him over to the barrier. "I'm afraid… you'll have to be in there, too."

"What? Why?"

"You just went hostile like a Hollow…"

"You were acting like all those people down at the concert," Uryu added. "But this isn't you're first time hearing her song, is it?"

Jinta shook his head. "No. In fact, I helped the boss out with his project a little while ago. I didn't do anything then."

"Then what did he do differently in the past hour that he didn't do before?" Rukia thought aloud. "There may be a connection between him and all the other people who were effected. After all, not everyone who heard her song turned hostile."

"Good point." Kisuke turned to the boy. "Jinta, what did you do in the past hour or so? Retrace your steps."

He gave it some thought. "Hmm… Well, I helped you with the laptop… I did some chores, looked out the window, smacked Ururu a little. It wasn't too hard or anything. And I had a snack."

"What?"

"Just some candy bar I got outside the concert. They were handing them out. I told you."

"Wait a minute!" Hitsugaya leaned against the glass with both hands. "I remember now! We ate the candy, too!"

"That's right!" Yumichika started. "I ate mine before her show started. Rangiku was going to eat one, too, but she gave it to Captain Hitsugaya instead and he ate it. Half the people there ate them and half the people went crazy after she started singing!"

"That must be the connection we've been looking for! The candy!" Rukia screamed. Finally, they had a clue. The answer was in the candy they were handing out.

"That's got to be it!"

Just when they thought they had it all figured out, a voice called out over the commotion.

"Wait, I don't think that's it."

Everyone looked at Uryu. "And why not?"

"Because I ate the candy bar, too, and nothing happened to me. And I was right there at the concert and heard her sing loud and clear."

Their hope faded away. Was it not the candy after all? For a minute, no one spoke.

"Uryu wasn't affected?"

"But why?"

"There must be something about you that makes you immune to her power."

Kisuke nodded, agreeing. "Now we just have to find it."

"Maybe it's because I'm a Quincy."

Kisuke held up a needle. "We'll have to run some tests to make sure…"

X

Ichigo lay on his bed deep in thought staring up at the ceiling. How? How was he going to get away? How was he going to stop her? How was he going to get around those two bodyguards? He looked at the facts once more. As long as he obeyed, his friends and family would be safe. He had left behind all his Soul Reaper stuff when he left and didn't tell anyone where he was going. He was stuck as a human and no one would come to his rescue. He never thought that he'd be the one in need of rescue. If Linnette sang, he'd go Hollow and attack and as long as he was a Hollow, he was unaware of what he was doing and therefore unable to stop himself. As a mere human, he couldn't kill Linnette. Aside from the moral reasons why he couldn't kill her, he couldn't very well attack a famous person. It would be all over the news and in all the papers. There would be investigations and he would be found guilty one way or another. He had also witnessed how she couldn't go anywhere without attracting a huge crowd. There was no way he could attack her without someone seeing it or catching it on camera. Speaking of cameras, he was beginning to wonder if his trailer was bugged in some way. That was probably how those two bodyguards knew about the things he was planning on doing to her. That was another thing: If he attacked her, they'd come to her defense. Also if he attacked or did anything to displease her, she'd sing.

But wait. If that were the case, then why didn't she?

Ichigo sat up in bed at the thought. He had stepped out of line a good number of times so far and she never followed through with her threats. She claimed that if he did anything she didn't like or tried to hurt her in some way, she'd sing. So far she hadn't. Was she just being lenient? No, that wasn't it. Ichigo was starting to suspect that she really couldn't sing on cue at all. That must have been it. She must have been one of those singers who lip-synced or had her voice modified by a computer. After all, she never sang unless she was on stage with a mic in front of her. Perhaps it was rigged.

Maybe he had just figured her out. Maybe she wasn't as powerful as she let on.

The curtain he used for a door was pulled open in one swift movement and in came the star. "Hello, Ichigo. How are you feeling today? Sleep well last night?"

Actually he didn't. But he wasn't about to let her know that. He just stared at her with a smug grin.

"What is it?"

"I've got you all figured out," he told her. "I know the reason why you haven't sung me into submission yet. It's because you can't, isn't it? Otherwise you would have done it by now."

She stood very still, without a smile on her face for once.

"I'm right, aren't I?" He really had gotten it right after all. "You can't sing, can you? Not without help, huh? Which means that you're powerless right now."

Her smile returned. "Or I could just be being nice."

"I don't buy it. Go ahead. Sing. Sing loud and clear. Let me hear it. Hit me with your best shot."

She stood still, her smile fading away once again.

"I knew you couldn't."

She opened her mouth.

"Nusquam somes,

tantum crimen nex,

meus carmen increbresco,

EGO sum questio vobis , meus diligo.

Cope per is totus,

Alveus in nox noctis,

Audite meus carmen,

Quod diligo mihi…"

Ichigo's vision failed him and his balance was completely off. He felt dizzy and lightheaded. He heard his Hollow hissing from deep inside him, getting louder by the second. He put his hands over his ears to try to block it out, but it was far too late for that. His dark eyes opened, glowing a brilliant yellow. His Hollow smiled at her words and listen quietly on the edge of the bed.

Outside, Victor and Cedric looked up at the trailer behind them and smiled.

"It sounds like our little girl's in a good mood today, huh?"

"Yes. She's going to be great up on that stage tonight. Everything's being readied for her as we speak."

She stopped singing and the Hollow possessed Ichigo purred. "Very nice…" he hissed happily.

Linnette sat down beside him on the bed. "Long time no see, huh? I was starting to miss you."

"And I was missing that song." The Hollow rubbed his face against her body like a cat, purring softly. "Sing it again. Once more. Please?"

She smiled and started from the top. The possessed Ichigo lay his head in her lap.

X

The next time Ichigo opened his eyes, it was dark. Sunset. How long had he been asleep? Wait, when did he fall asleep? He sat up on the bed and looked around. Nothing seemed to have been changed since the last time his eyes were open. But what happened to him? He felt dizzy.

The door to his trailer opened and Victor was standing there waiting for him. "We're getting ready to leave."

"Leave?" he questioned.

His visitor gave him a smirk. "Of course. We're setting up for her new performance tonight. We have to go to the location."

That's when Ichigo understood what had happened to him. "Wait. She sang, didn't she? Is that why I was..?"

Victor nodded.

So she really could sing after all at any time she pleased. "Why..? Why did she do it now? And why the concert? I thought she promised not to-"

"Ah, ah, ah." Victor wagged his finger. "She never promised to never sing again. It is her career, after all. She merely promised to leave your friends and family unharmed."

"But she said that she wouldn't make me go Hollow-"

"Unless you disobeyed. Which you did. But don't worry. No one got hurt. She just sang you a little song and kept your Hollow nice and calm. That's all. And in the meantime, you took a little nap."

Ichigo gave him a dirty look. "But this concert tonight…"

"Don't worry. Follow orders and you won't be affected."

"How's that?"

Victor gestured to the trailer itself. "This trailer is completely soundproof. If you keep all the doors and windows shut nice and tight, her song won't reach you. Just stay in the trailer during her concert and you'll be fine."

Ichigo stared at him for a moment. "So that's it?"

"That's it." Victor turned and walked out. "Come on, Ichigo. The limo is here."

Gritting his teeth, Ichigo followed after him.

X

Linnette's concert took place indoors in a small part of town, but the entire block was packed full of stores and restaurants. It was a good location for a performance. Ichigo paced his trailer, double checking to make sure that every inch of his trailer was completely sealed off so her song couldn't reach him. Her concert would go on for at least an hour or so. This gave him plenty of time to think.

So far his first couple of ideas didn't work out at all in his favor. He couldn't touch her without those two men stopping him, even when they weren't anywhere in sight. Onlookers at every turn stopped him as well. And now he knew that her threats were real. She really could sing his Hollow out at any given moment. Even when she hummed, he could feel himself losing control.

Ichigo looked out the window at the building where Linnette was performing. Already, paparazzi and news media were starting to line up outside the front doors for their chance to capture the rising star on film. They all wanted a peek at the young songstress. Everyone wanted their shot. Their chance to see her. Their chance to hear her sing. They were no different from his Hollow. He couldn't get enough of her either.

His eyes widened. His Hollow… That's right. He couldn't get enough of her either. And wasn't it Cedric who made a point of telling him that his inner Hollow was more desirable than the package it came in? Linnette liked his Hollow more than she did Ichigo himself. But why did his Hollow like her? He was under the impression that he couldn't stand anyone and only wanted to kill others.

Ichigo had to ask him himself. He sat on the bed and shut his eyes, entering into his inner world…

"Welcome, King…" he heard an all too familiar voice say to him.

Ichigo turned and saw his Hollow laying sideways on a building not too far away. For once, his sword wasn't anywhere in sight. In fact, Ichigo wasn't even sure if this was his Hollow.

Normally he was much more excitable than this. He was hostile, evil and just downright crazy. The Hollow Ichigo saw before him was calm, cool and collected. He was very lazy. He rested his head in his hand and brushed his hair with the other. With a small yawn, he greeted Ichigo.

"What's up, your majesty?"

Ichigo blinked, unsure how to answer him. "Uh… you ok?"

He rolled onto his back with a long sigh. "Never better."

"'Cause you seem… different."

"I've never felt so at ease or calm before in my whole life. This laziness… This feeling of tranquility… It's so intoxicating. I feel great."

Sensing no danger from his white doppelganger, Ichigo bent down, squatting next to him. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Fire away." The Hollow pumped his fist into the air.

"It's about Linnette."

At once, his Hollow's smile widened and he looked at Ichigo as if being told that he had hooked him up on a date. "Oh, isn't she awesome? I just love her! Her songs are the best!"

"But why do you like her so much? She's twisted and sadistic. I can't stand her, so as my opposite, I guess it's no wonder that you like her. But I want to know why."

The smile slowly drained from his face and he let out a sigh. "Isn't it obvious?" He sat up, looking into Ichigo's eyes. "It's because she gives me what I want."

"What?" It was more of a question of surprise than anything else. He already had a few ideas what that something could be. But his Hollow told him anyway.

"When she sings, I'm free. Unlike you, she lets me out to play. I get to be on top for once. Don't you see? When she sings, I'm unleashed no matter when or where. I get to do what I want, and I feel great. Her song… It's hard to explain, but it just casts a spell over me. When I hear it… I just…" He swooned at the very thought.

"So you only like her because she lets you take control over me?"

"Oh, it's more than that, don't you see? I also don't have to worry about you coming in at the worst time and interfering. I leave when she stops or until I feel like going away. You have no say. You have no control. I do! But there's something else that I can't put into words. Something about her voice that I just love. Even if she couldn't unleash me, I still love hearing her sing. I love it so much…"

Ichigo was starting to get the suspicion that his Hollow was actually falling in love with Linnette. He couldn't let that happen. But at the same time, he was helpless to stop either of them.

Ichigo could feel himself leaving his world and watched as his Hollow smiled up at him with a wave, saying, "Until next time, your highness." He was pulled through darkness and then…

… his eyes found the ceiling of his trailer. Ichigo sat up and looked out the window. Not much time had passed. What disturbed him must have been the group of teenagers talking loudly outside his window and bumping their skateboards against the side of his trailer.

Ichigo looked at the floor. "There's got to be something I can do to stop all this. I won't be a helpless slave to her. No way in hell. There's got to be something I'm not seeing. But what?"

* * *

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

After midnight, Ichigo heard the door to his trailer open. He was on his feet in an instant. Cedric came in with a large suitcase used for traveling. It was a dark blue one with many pockets. Ichigo could tell at just a glance that it was very expensive. Cedric tossed it to him saying only one word to him: "Pack."

"Huh? For what?" Were they kicking him out or something. Nothing would suit him better, but somehow he knew that wasn't it.

"We're going to a hotel tomorrow. Pack two days' worth of clothes. We leave the first thing in the morning."

Ichigo tossed the bag aside, frowning. "A hotel, huh?" He scoffed. "What for? We have trailers, don't we? Why bother with that? Seems like a huge waste of money to me."

Cedric stepped up to him with a scowl. "Look, we're going on a trip. We'll be traveling over large bodies of water. Places we can't drive to. A hotel is essential. Besides, do you really want to live out of a trailer all your life?"

"No."

"Good. Neither does she. We leave in the morning so get packing."

X

Uryu spent the remainder of his day on a futon, being poked and prodded with needles and long tubes. Kisuke was doing numerous tests on him to determine why he wasn't effected like the others. Knowing that might just lead them to figuring out a possible cure. At first Uryu complied, but now that his body was sore from all the tests, he had to wonder when it would all end. Kisuke even performed tests that Uryu questioned the significance of. He didn't complain when Tessai held him down and felt every inch of his body to see if there were any changes in his bone structure. Or when he was given pills to induce vomiting so that they could study his stomach contents. But he had to say something when Kisuke handed him a cup and said that it wasn't for drinking out of.

"Just what are all these tests trying to prove anyway? At the rate we're going, my body's going to be turned inside out! My insides are already empty thanks to those pills and needles. What more could there possibly be?"

"As many as it takes to find out what makes you immune to her spell." Kisuke sifted through papers and made marks on many others. "No matter what you say, I don't think it's your Quincy powers."

Uryu turned around in his bed and looked at the three behind the barrier. They were exhausted as well. Hitsugaya had huge bags under his eyes and Yumichika kept whining about how awful he must have looked. It seemed that Hitsugaya was afraid to sleep in case he became a Hollow again and couldn't stop himself. Jinta was bored out of his mind but was amusing himself with a video game he had brought in with him.

Rukia and the others returned from their search. "We still can't find him. Even Ichigo's family is worried about him. Kon still hasn't seen anything. I don't know what else we can do. I don't think he's in Karakura anymore."

Kisuke held up a long sheet of paper feeding out of a strange looking machine. I have test results from these guys. Sit down."

They sat. "What have you found out?"

"Not much of anything, actually. They're inconclusive," Kisuke told them. "By all rights, Uryu should be changing like the rest of them. I can't tell what's preventing him from doing so."

"But have you found out what's making them change?" Rangiku asked.

"That's easy," Ikkaku said. "It's that brat's singing. She's a witch."

"Actually, no." Kisuke tossed those papers aside and picked up another stack. "Not everyone changed, as you know. It was the candy bars that triggered it. So I analyzed them. And I found out that they contain a kind of poison that causes Hollowfication."

"A poison?"

"Well, sort of. It's a virus, actually. But poison just sounds cooler to me," Kisuke smiled enigmatically. He cleared his throat. "Anyway… It causes the eater to transform into a Hollow. But not right away. It needs a trigger to start the actual transformation, otherwise it just sits there and does nothing. It needs to be activated."

"Linnette's singing."

"That's right." He held up a sheet of paper. "This was a blood test I got from them. Everything is normal. However…" He held up another sheet. "This was the results of their blood after they heard her song. Under a powerful microscope, I discovered that the virus enters the bloodstream once it's been ingested. It then spreads throughout the body very quickly. The virus attaches itself to the blood cells when her song begins and causes the blood to flow faster, pumping it throughout the body even faster. Once that happens, the transformation is complete. That's what turns them into Hollows."

"But what about the humans? They didn't turn into Hollows. They just went nuts."

"True, Rangiku. But that's because they're still human."

"Huh?"

He grinned. "Come on. How many humans have you seen turn into Hollows? Souls become Hollows. You know how that works."

"So you're saying that because they're human, they won't make a full transformation?" Rukia asked.

"That's right. It only gives them Hollow instincts. They act and think like Hollows, but don't become them physically." Kisuke put the papers down. "However, I can't find out what the virus is made out of so I can't come up with a cure. But from what I can tell, the virus isn't complete itself. It looks more like a prototype to me."

"So someone is experimenting on humans trying to turn them into Hollows?"

"So it seems."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Uryu sat up quickly. "So then…" He fell back down on the bed with a moan.

"Are you ok?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah…" he rubbed his forehead. "All those tests… I just got a little dizzy. Sat up too fast."

Kisuke stared at Uryu as if studying him. "Do you get dizzy spells often?"

He shrugged. "Not all the time. Every now and then I guess. It depends on what I do. It's no big deal."

Kisuke got a serious look on his face as he moved closer to the boy on the bed. "Do you take pills for it?"

"What? No. I take pills for other things. Why?"

The shopkeeper's eyes flashed and he went back to the papers, sifting through them. Then he found the one he was looking for and read it over.

"Something wrong?"

Kisuke lowered the paper and looked up, a look of sudden realization on his face. "Uryu has low blood pressure."

"Yeah, and?" Uryu said. "I already knew that. Why do you think I take pills for it?"

Kisuke rifled through more papers with the blood test results. "The virus travels through the blood."

Now they were starting to understand.

"Uryu, because of your low blood pressure, the virus isn't able to travel as quickly as it should. It moves slower throughout your body. By the time it's able to spread, your antibodies have already had a chance to break it down. So by the time she starts singing, the virus is no longer in effect, making it useless. This makes you immune."

"What?"

"The virus is rendered useless so her song won't effect you. Uryu, the answer is in your blood! People with low blood pressure aren't effected by the virus because it hasn't been given a chance to spread. That's it! That's the answer!"

This may have just been their first bit of good news yet. Now they only needed to find a cure through this and find out what happened to Ichigo.

X

"Good morning, Ichigo!" Linnette popped her head into his trailer the next morning to check on him. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," he lied. In truth, he hadn't had a decent night's sleep since she had come into his life. But the sleepless nights gave him plenty of time to think. Last night he had come up with a plan. He hated the very idea of it, but it was his only hope. He had to give it a try. His plan was to behave. That was it. He was going to act like her servant and be like the other two men she kept at her side. Hopefully in time, she and the other two would let their guards down so that he could make his move. It was worth a shot.

Victor opened the limo door for her as they made their way outside. "Ready, my little diva?"

"Of course!" She skipped over to the limo. "So where to now? Am I still going to New York?"

"Yes, but first, we have to make a few stops. We're still getting your name out. And you have a photo shoot tomorrow morning."

"Oh, so busy!" she sighed loudly. But her tone didn't match her cheerful expression. Something told Ichigo that she loved every minute of it all.

As she climbed into the limo, her bracelet fell off her wrist and landed by the rear tire without her notice. Ichigo took a breath and made a grab for it. Both men saw him make a lunge forward and thought that he was trying to grab her. As they moved to stop him, he stopped and bent down, picking up the bracelet. Linnette turned and saw this. He held up her bracelet, showing everyone what he was doing.

"The clasp broke," he said. "I thought you'd like it back anyway."

Linnette snatched the bracelet up and looked it over. Then she held it out for Victor to take. "Can you fix it?" she asked, like a child begging her father for a new toy.

He gently took it from her and examined it closely. "Yes," he smiled. "I'll take it to a repair shop. I know one on the way."

Smiling, she slipped back into the limo and sat down. The two men looked at Ichigo suspiciously and piled into the limo next. Ichigo was the last one inside. Once the door closed, the driver took off.

Linnette sat with her bodyguards on either side. Ichigo sat across from them. After the first 30 seconds went by, Ichigo noticed that Linnette was staring at him. "Cedric?"

The man on her right turned his head. "Yes, sweetie?"

"Switch places with Ichigo, please."

Every man was surprised to hear this. "What?"

"I want to sit next to him."

After a moment of bewildered hesitation, Cedric moved. Ichigo sat on her right and buckled himself in. As soon as he had done that, her arms wrapped themselves around his left arm like a girlfriend would her lover.

Both men stared at Ichigo for a minute then looked away.

This was good. Even though he hated being this close to her, he knew what it meant: she trusted him. She was letting him in. All he had to do now was be a good little lapdog until the moment when he could strike.

X

The limo brought them to an airport. Ichigo knew what this meant. They were going even further away. His plan of escape wasn't looking so good anymore. If they got on a plane, where would they go? He knew that they were planning on going to New York, but that wasn't for a while. If they got on this plane, there would be less of a chance of him being able to run away. He would have no money or means of transportation. He wouldn't know where to go or how to get there. But he couldn't give up on the plan now and run away. If he made a move and she started singing here, he would go Hollow and attack innocent people. And there was also a possibility of something happening that he didn't see yet. He had to play it cool and go with the plan no matter how much he didn't want to.

He followed the group with his head down, not looking at anyone or anything. He was led down a long carpeted hallway outside. He could hear the loud roar of airplane engines and beeping from luggage trucks backing up and people shouting. He followed them up the stairs to the plane. They were seated in the first class compartment, no surprise there. He sat in a comfortable leather reclining chair. A flight attendant brought him a drink as he buckled up. He was seated by himself behind Linnette. She was sitting by the window with Victor. Cedric was going to sit beside Ichigo but Linnette told him not to. Why, Ichigo was unaware.

As the plane took off, Ichigo looked out the window. He looked out onto the runway as if expecting to see his friends chancing after the plane like in one of those action movies he sometimes watched with his family. No such luck. Why would they come here? They didn't even know where he was. He had left without telling anyone. Soon they were high above the clouds. The plane had climbed so high so quickly. He had never been on a plane before. Or first class for that matter. It was very comfortable. He had air controls and a small TV screen on his armrest. The attendants catered to him, bringing him juice and pillows. They made sure that he was very comfortable. Maybe he was to an extent. But he couldn't relax knowing the situation he was in. But not having Cedric sitting beside him did make him a little more at ease.

Hours past and Ichigo found himself slipping in and out of consciousness. He kept nodding off as the sky grew darker around the plane. Forgetting where he was for perhaps a moment, Ichigo drew the blanket given to him around his body and rested his head on the pillow. He slept for maybe an hour at best before waking up again and looking around. Linnette was sleeping on Victor's chest while he stroked her hair. Cedric eyed Ichigo the way he always did as if daring him to make a move. Just give him an excuse to beat him. Ichigo turned away from him and tried to hide his distain for him behind his blanket.

The plane landed several hours later. The sun wasn't up yet. It was still dark out. Then the pilot's voice came on and repeated his message in different languages so he could be understood by others. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have no arrived in America. Please turn your clocks back 14 hours. The time is now 10:36. Thank you for flying with us and please watch your step."

Ichigo turned his watch back to the right time. No wonder it was so dark out. Linnette and Ichigo both had a bad case of jetlag but the two other men seemed unaffected. They got into yet another limo and set out for a hotel. He watched the tall buildings pass them by in a colorful blur. He wondered what part of America he was in. This wasn't New York, he knew that much. But where was he?

The limo kept going, turning only a couple of times. Finally they came to a stop in front of a huge expensive-looking hotel stacked high with hundreds of windows. A doorman wearing a uniform stepped up and opened their door. Cedric got out first followed by Victor and then Linnette. Ichigo was the last one out once again. Together, they walked up a flight of wide marble steps into the lobby. Once beyond the revolving door, Ichigo stopped and stared.

This hotel was spectacular. A heavy glistening chandelier hung high above their heads, the floor under their feet was done in a beautiful mosaic pattern. Small sitting circles of chairs were all around them as well as patterned couches, coffee tables and potted plants. Ichigo had never been in a place like this before. Compared to all the smartly dressed people around them, Ichigo must have looked pretty scruffy in his casual jeans and t-shirt.

The receptionist behind a black glass desk welcomed them. Victor made the arrangements while Ichigo had a look around. A bellboy was loading their luggage onto a tall cart and started towards the elevator. Cedric pulled on Ichigo's arm and pushed him towards another elevator. They rode to the 19th floor and got off. Linnette and Victor walked down the hall towards an elegant-looking door on the end. Ichigo guessed by the look of it that that was the Royal suite. He was pushed by Cedric to the room on their left. The bellboy from before was waiting for him by a door.

"Over here, sir."

Ichigo stepped over to him and watched him unlock the door with his cardkey. He pushed it open and led Ichigo inside.

Ichigo walked into his suite. On his left was a small closet for his jacket and other things. Then there was a short hall leading to the main room. Ichigo blinked. He had three huge rooms all to himself. He had a combination sitting and dinning room which he was standing in right now. It was furnished with two chairs, a large sofa and a low coffee table. To his right was the bedroom. There was a giant four-poster bed with cream colored sheets and multiple pillows and a small sofa and desk. Adjacent to the bed was a large bathroom.

"This room as well as the bedroom has a television and music system," explained the bellboy as he brought in Ichigo's things and sat them down in a chair. He began opening cupboards, revealing hidden TVs and stereo equipment. He went over to the other side of the room. "Here is the minibar…" He then showed Ichigo to the bedroom he had been eyeing. "And here is a list of services we provide." He pointed to a small binder next to the phone on the desk. "We have everything from limousine hire to room service. You can call day or night. It's around the clock so if you require anything, please don't hesitate to call. There is a pool in the basement and a fitness center on the third floor. The hours are posted outside the doors or you can call to check." He then opened the door to the bathroom. "The Jacuzzi is easy to operate and you'll find fresh bath towels and herbal soaps waiting for you. Will that be all?"

Ichigo nodded. "Yes, thank you."

The bellboy bowed and left.

Ichigo waited to hear the door click shut before he moved. He took his shoes off and walked around the plushy carpeted suite. He went straight to the window and opened the curtains. There was a small balcony waiting for him outside. He stepped out onto the terrace and met the breeze with his face. The air felt soothing against his cheeks and he loved the way it blew through his hair. He looked down at the streets below.

They weren't in New York yet. They were still a good distance away. But this place felt like a city to him. He was surrounded by a jungle of buildings and heard car horns honking and people chatting loudly below. He could only imagine what New York city was like. He had never been there before, nor did he ever express an interest in going. But now he was on his way there. And for free. This was a free ride for him. He didn't have to pay for anything. It was all free. Even this hotel room. All his clothes, food, everything.

But it didn't make him happy. Not in the slightest. Knowing where it came from only made him feel dirty and angry. Knowing whose money bought it. The very people who were keeping him prisoner got him all this. He hated it all. Not only was this too refined for his taste, but he didn't want any of it. What good was living in a palace if you were a prisoner inside of it? He got anything and everything he could ever need and was treated to the good life, able to see how the better half lived, but he hated it all the same. If they wanted him to be happy, then bring him back home to his family. That's what he wanted.

His door opened for a second time, leading him to believe that the bellboy had forgotten something. But instead another man came in wheeling a cart with many trays. He lifted one off the top shelf and placed it on the desk. "Room service, sir."

Ichigo shook his head, confused. "I didn't order any-"

"I did." Victor came in and stood beside the new bellboy. "I ordered the food for you. You must be hungry after the long trip here." He tipped the boy and he scampered off.

Once he was gone and the door was shut, Ichigo was free to talk. "I'm not hungry."

Victor pulled out the chair and ordered him to sit. Ichigo refused. "Look… I've been in your trailer. I've seen what you eat. Your fridge is still fully stocked. You haven't taken anything out of there since you joined us. We've only been to a restaurant once together as a group. Only then did you eat. Even on the plane, you didn't touch your food. I'm no fool. You haven't been eating. You look peckish and you're thinner than you were the first time we met. You're starving yourself."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at him then looked away. The smell of fresh hot food was making his stomach growl. It was embarrassing enough knowing that it was loud enough to hear from across the room, but it was even worse knowing that Victor had figured it out before that happened.

"Eat."

Ichigo kept his eyes away. He didn't want to eat the food given to him by these people. His pride had stopped him up to this point. But he couldn't keep this up for much longer. Having not eaten in over 24 hours had left him feeling lightheaded and weak. Even if he could run away or fight them, he wouldn't have the strength to do it for long. If he tried to even run down stairs at this very moment, there was no doubt in his mind that he could pass out before he made it to the doors.

"I can't have Linnette worry about you starving to death on us. It would distract her from the performance. And you collapsing on us in the middle of the street- how would that look? You need to eat. Keep your strength up. Now do as you're told. Eat."

Victor stared him down. Roughly, pulling out the chair even further from the desk, Ichigo sat down in an angry huff. Victor took the top off the plate and set it aside. Steak and vegetables greeted Ichigo in a cloud of steam. He took up his fork and started eating. His first bite gave him more strength than he had moments ago. Soon the shake in his hands calmed and he was able to think clearly again without fear of passing out from hunger. Victor watched to make sure he ate every bite of food on his plate. He wasn't going anywhere until then.

He saw now that starving himself wouldn't help anyone. If anything, it made him easier to control. He had to rethink his plan. After a good night's sleep, he should be able to come up with something.

X

The next day was filled was nothing but shopping and photo shoots for the young star. She loved every minute of it all. She made Ichigo carry her bags and bring her water. Ichigo only did so to get on her good side, and because her two bodyguards made sure that he did. And sure enough, around lunch time, she refused to make Ichigo work anymore. Instead, she had him sit down and relax. She even asked him to sit beside her at lunch. He was about ready to wring her little neck, but seeing this as a good sign, Ichigo restrained himself. The plan appeared to be working.

As evening fell, Ichigo once again had to go into his hiding spot to wait out her song. Her show was in the building across the street from where they were staying. The trailers hadn't arrived yet, so Ichigo was confined to his hotel room. He was encouraged to make use of anything he wanted.

At first, he had refused. He refused to eat the food provided for him, knowing where it had come from. He had already lost five pounds by not eating. But now he saw that starving himself wasn't going to help anyone. He needed his strength. And now he saw a new way of looking at the situation. It wasn't his money that was paying for any of this, was it? It was their's. He might as well milk it for all it was worth, right? He would take them broke. That'll show them.

So that night, Ichigo ordered room service and ate like a king. Each dish he ordered was well over 10 dollars, no matter how small it was. A single slice or cake was 12 dollars easy with tax. He must have spent over 100 dollar on just that one meal alone. He wasn't very familiar with American currency, but he was sure that it was a lot of money. But he didn't stop there. He ordered himself new clothes and shoes as well. He even got himself a haircut in his hotel room. He indulged in things he normally wouldn't take part of. But hey, it wasn't his money. He wanted to hurt them in the pocket since he couldn't do much of anything else at the moment.

After a bill of 458 dollars plus tip, Ichigo had a nice long soak in his large tub with every bath oil and soap he could find. Maybe he was enjoying this a little now. He felt so mischievous. He couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces when they saw the bill for that night. Their rooms alone cost roughly 700 dollars a night since they were in suits. Adding this to the bill meant that Ichigo had cost them over 2,000 dollars so far. He climbed into bed with a satisfied smile and went to sleep.

X

His plan to hit them in the pocket didn't go over as well as he had hoped. Victor saw the bill and just remarked how it was good that Ichigo was eating again. He didn't seem to mind at all. Linnette had another show that night and needed to rest up. So the whole group went to get massages done in her hotel room. Her Royal suit was huge and came with four rooms. Linnette had her massage done in her bedroom while the men had theirs in the living room.

"Enjoying the better life, Ichigo?" Victor asked him.

Dissatisfied that his plan to take them broke didn't work, Ichigo turned his head away. "It just seems like a huge waste of money to me."

"Don't worry about it." Victor told the woman kneading his muscles where to massage next before going on. "I've got money. Plenty of money. It's fine."

"Please…" Ichigo rolled his eyes. "This trip alone is going to cost you at least 10,000 bucks and that's if we end it tonight. How can you possibly afford it?"

Victor smiled. "Because I'm filthy, stinking rich? That's why. How else could I afford her career to set off the way it is?"

Ichigo growled and stared out the window.

The women were dismissed for a short break, allowing the men to talk privately.

"Just remember your place, Ichigo."

"You're just her pet," Cedric added.

He turned and shot them both a nasty look.

"Just give us a reason," Victor smiled. "Step out of line even once and…" His smile told Ichigo all he needed to know. He didn't need to say it.

* * *

Someone punch Vic and his friend in the face! Please review! ^-^


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

The trailers arrived early the next day behind the hotel. Sick of knowing that his room was a short ten feet from Linnette's and that paparazzi were lurking around every corner of this place, Ichigo fled his room and went back to his trailer. Once inside, he took notice that some things had been changed. He now had even more clothes, fresh food in his fridge and a pink bunny with a purple bow around its neck. No doubt that was from Linnette. There was also a newspaper on the table. He opened it up. Every word of it was in English. He tossed it aside. There wasn't much for him here in this unfamiliar country. It would be easier if he had friends with him who knew something about the way things worked around here. Or at least could read the paper. He took an English class in school for a number of years now, but he still couldn't speak it fluently, nor could he read it very well.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror and took note of the bags under his eyes. Even in a comfy hotel room all to himself, he hadn't been sleeping very well. Perhaps it was stress. Or perhaps it was just unnerving for him to close his eyes around such people. He didn't feel safe here with them. He wanted to go home. He wanted to know how his sisters were doing. Were they wondering where he was? He was sure of it. But were they still looking for him? Was Yuzu crying for him? He knew how worried she got. Ever since their mother died, Yuzu has been afraid of someone else never coming home. Their mother went out and never came back. Now being late in her mind meant that something bad had happened. She must have been hurting. He didn't want to put her through that.

But knowing what he would do to her if he had stayed was even worse. That was another reason why he hadn't been sleeping at night. He had constant nightmares about going Hollow again because of Linnette. They were all very vivid and constant. In his nightmares Linnette was singing and he had gone Hollow. But unlike what happened to him in real life, he was fully aware of what he was doing but couldn't stop himself. He was forced to watch every second of the bloodbath. Yuzu was always the first one to go in his dreams. She was staring at him with those wide fearful eyes, backing away from him. He would grab her by her neck and throw her to the ground where he would start to tear her apart with his bare hands. Screaming and bleeding- he had done that. It was all him. Kirin would go next. Her normal tough attitude, very much like her older brother's, was long gone, eyes showing nothing but fear. She would call his name but he wouldn't answer. She cried for her twin, asking him why he had killed her the way that he did. He would then chase her down and pin her to the ground. She screamed and screamed, begging him to stop and to know why. He bit her throat and tore her neck apart. He ripped off her limbs one by one. After killing off both his sisters, he went after Orihime. He strangled her and pulled her hair. He shattered her hair clips and made her bleed while she whimpered and cried out his name. He couldn't stop no matter how much he wanted to. Then Rukia would come and draw her sword. She gave him a conflicted look and told him to stop. "Don't make me do this," she would say and then he'd attacked. She pulled up her sword and he broke it in half and went for her face. After that he would wake up.

These nightmare were a constant reminder why he was here. If he refused or ran off, that nightmare may become a cruel reality. Remembering those dreams made Ichigo feel sick all over again. He got up and went to the door for some much needed air.

The second his trailer opened, he was blinded by flashing lights and deafened by clamor. Paparazzi swarmed the trailer, taking pictures and bombarding him with questions. He threw up a hand to shield himself from the bright flashing lights. He staggered back into the trailer and slammed the door shut. He cursed loudly and waited for his vision to come back. All this fuss and he wasn't even the star. They must have thought he was the real star's boyfriend or something. Or a young teenaged boy easily paid off with a loud mouth who could tip them off on something juicy. Either way he wanted no part of it.

The clamor started up again signaling to Ichigo that someone else was coming. The door opened and in came Linnette. She locked the door this time and walked over to her pet. "Hi, Ichigo. What are you doing here? I thought you'd be inside enjoying the free stuff."

Just seeing her face was enough to really piss him off. "I don't want it."

"Hm?" She put a hand to her ear. "What was that? You mumbled."

"I don't want it! I don't want any of it!"

She pouted. "Oh? Like what? What do you mean? I thought you'd enjoy the better half of life."

"Hell, no!" Ichigo started to rant, unable to hold it back any longer. "I don't want to live like this! Expensive isn't always better! As far as the expensive food, I'd be happier with a burger from a fast food place. As far as fancy clothes are concerned, I was a lot happier in slacks and a worn out t-shirt. Herbal bath soaps and a Jacuzzi? Just give me hot water and soap you could find at a convenient store and I'll get just as clean. A fancy hotel suite? Please! I was happier living at home with my father's sneak attacks every morning and Kon slamming into my face whenever he was in the mood. I miss my sister calling me down for breakfast and her twin asking me to play soccer with her. I miss my friends. I miss those hectic mornings and loud afternoons. I want to go back to that life. That life I knew. That life I wanted. That life is better suited for me. I want that one. I want to go home!"

She stood there and stared at him. "I'm sorry that you feel that way." She shut her eyes and folded her arms. "But I can't let you go. You're going to stay here with me forever."

Ichigo caught his breath from his rant and clenched his fists.

"I don't really care if you're happy or not. It's just better if you are. All I care about is my own happiness and the things I want. And I want you to stay. I don't care if you miss your friends or family. We're your family now so get used to it."

Losing his temper, Ichigo lunged at her. His body was frozen in place. But her bodyguards were nowhere in sight, so what had stopped him? The answer was simple: Linnette's humming. She was humming her song, stopping Ichigo in his tracks. Even after she had stopped, Ichigo still couldn't move.

She walked up to him and stroked his face lovingly. "You're my pet, Ichigo. Now be a good little doggy and stay."

The feeling came back to his limbs and he fell to the floor. He only had to hear one note of her song and that was it. Any more and his Hollow really would come out. He couldn't do anything. He really was powerless here.

She smiled at him and bent down to his level. "All I'm asking is that you be by my side. Is that really so hard? You're not my slave, just my pet. And a good pet gets treats. But a bad one gets punished. Now would you like to hear my song again?"

He shook his head.

"Now then…" She opened her arms wide. "… give us a hug."

He glared at her. No power in this world would make him do that! But her humming had woken his sleeping Hollow inside and he was in a cuddling mood.

"_Oh, sweet girl… My little princess… I'll be happy to give you a hug… Come on, King. Do it. Be nice… If you don't, I will…"_

That's right. He would. If he ticked her off, she would truly sing and then what? What would she have him do then? Swallowing his pride, Ichigo leaned forward keeping his hands on his knees and allowed her arms to snake around his body. He shut his eyes and held his breath.

Stick to the plan. All he had to do to make it through this was stick to the plan. He had forgotten himself for a moment there. If he wanted this to work, he would have to try harder to make her put her guard down.

X

In her gigai, Rukia went back to Ichigo's school to attend class. As attendance was taken, everyone including to teacher noticed that Ichigo had been missing for nearly a week but all his friends were here. That was very unusual. Normally if he was missing, so were the rest of them. However, Keigo was missing. Either that or he was just running late. This was a little strange.

As the teacher was about to start class, the door came flying open and in came the missing student. Keigo burst through the door like a bat out of Hell and waving a magazine in his hand. "It's Ichigo!"

The students jumped up to take a peek at the page he was trying to show off to the class. Finally he slammed it down on Rukia's desk and pointed at a picture is the bottom left corner. Everyone crowded around. The title took up two pages and the picture of Linnette filled the entire right hand margin. The title read: Rising Star Takes Spotlight In New York.

But Rukia wasn't looking at that as much as she was the photo Keigo had pointed out to her at the bottom. Almost as an after thought, a tiny photo of an orange-haired teenaged boy coming out of a trailer, shielding his eyes from the cameras was placed way at the bottom of the page. It was Ichigo. The column beneath the photo read: Rising Star takes along unnamed Japanese teen for the tour. Possible boyfriend or new agent? Still waiting on word from the diva herself. But love may be blooming like her singing career.

"He ran off with some girl?"

"I can't believe Ichigo would do something like that."

"He wouldn't. It's unreal."

"But look at the photo."

"I see it. But you know how these magazine people stretch the truth."

"I know. It just doesn't seem like something he'd do. Besides, he doesn't even know her."

"So you're saying he was kidnapped and held against his will?"

"Well, look at his face in the picture. He doesn't look happy."

"Yeah, he looks kinda pissed."

"You would be too with all those lights in your face."

"Pissed? That's normal for him."

"Sounds like love to me."

Rukia held onto the magazine while the rest of the class sat back down in their seats. She was reading what the article had to say. So _she's going to New York City, huh? And if Ichigo's with her, that means he's going, too._ She folded up the magazine and left the class room just as class began. _I know where he is!_

X

Ichigo was just about to lay down for a nap when his door opened. "Don't you people ever knock?"

Victor stood in the doorway, deadly serious. "Come with me. I wish to show you something."

Curious, Ichigo followed him out the door, putting on a pair of sunglasses just in case the paparazzi were lurking nearby with their cameras. Victor led him into another trailer. This one was enormous. There were bookcases welded into the walls and large tables everywhere, making it look a lot like a hospital. There were boxes and cupboards and chairs and sinks and papers every which way he turned. It looked more like a small laboratory than a trailer you would take on a tour.

"This way." Victor led him into a back room. Unlike Ichigo's trailer, this one had actual doors rather than the drape he was forced to use for privacy. He was led over to a large white table and told to stay put. There was a CD player with speakers on the desk. The red light told Ichigo that it was already on and the music was simply paused. No doubt a CD of Linnette's singing to stop him in his tracks should something go wrong during this visit. Ichigo had a bad feeling about this.

"What's all this?"

Victor pulled on something behind the table and the surface opened up revealing a hidden compartment. "I want to show you something." He took out a box from the compartment and reached inside, taking out a small wrapped candy bar. "Do you know what this is?"

Ichigo recognized it after a moment. "Yeah. It's one of those free sample things they were handing out at the park that day. Why?"

Victor smiled. "You don't have any idea what it is, do you?"

Now he was concerned.

"This common candy bar is possibly my greatest achievement for our young diva. Let me explain. I'm sure you're aware of her past. She's told you, yes? Well, back when I first heard her sing, I was very taken with her. I loved that voice so very much. I wanted to share it with the world. And so she sang. It was small at first. We did performances at fairs and festivals. Small things. She was popular with the crowd. But sadly, not everyone cared for her song as much as I did. Her style isn't to everyone's taste. And some rude people prefer to listen to their ipods rather than her voice."

Ichigo stood still, listening to every word the man had to say in this windowless backroom.

"But then I noticed something interesting. During one of our outdoor concerts, a couple Hollows showed up. Once they heard her song, they calmed and listened. They loved her voice. All they wanted to do was hear her song. They were a much better captive audience than the humans who would lose interest or just not listen. That had me thinking. I wondered if I could do something to make the humans adore her as much as the Hollows did. But it wasn't until last year when we came to your town and met the Vizards that I had an idea of how to go about it. I noticed that the Vizards would start to change when they heard her sing."

"Because they're part Hollow?"

"Very good, Ichigo, yes. So I started working on a kind of potion that would turn the humans into Hollows and become Vizard-like in a sense."

"What?"

Victor smiled at him. "Unfortunately, it didn't work the way I had intended. Things failed and others wouldn't turn out right. The serum would have to go into the blood in order to be effective. A dart was the only way at the time to do it, but then I came up with this." He held up the candy bar. "After all, who doesn't like candy? At first it was going to be a drink, but the toxin I invented turned the liquid a displeasing green color and it had a strange smell to it. No one would drink it. But in candy form, the taste and smell were nullified. No one noticed anything amiss. Once eaten, the toxin spreads into the bloodstream beginning the transformation."

Victor sighed and turned the candy over again in his hand.

"However, the potion only worked halfway. The humans never fully transformed. They only got the mind and instinct of a Hollow. Not the body. I guess you would have to be a soul in order for it to work all the way. And the potion's effects only last for as long as she's singing, very much like the Hollow's themselves. Once she stops, the humans go back to the way they were without a memory of what had happened."

"Why?" Ichigo took a step towards Victor and he put his hand on the CD player. Ichigo stopped in his tracks. He would turn it on if he came any closer. "Why would you do that?"

"Why? So that the people could love her the way Hollows do. I wanted her to be famous. And aside from that. I wanted to see if I could. I wanted to see if I could turn people into Hollows and to see if her voice would have the same effect on them as the real thing."

"That's your only reason? That's crap! You're just-"

"You didn't hear the best part, yet." Victor put the candy back in the box and sealed it back into the table's compartment. "I've been working on a new one that could, in theory, turn them one hundred percent into Hollows. It hasn't been tested, yet. I was waiting to do it when we got to Central Park. That way when they change we won't be destroying a beautiful theater. There will be plenty of room."

Ichigo clenched his fists. "So that's it, huh? That's what you've been doing? All those people back there… You turned them into Hollows? They were attacking their families, damn it! Look at all the damage you caused! And for what? Just to make her more famous? For fun?"

"I don't see what you're so upset about, Ichigo. This is a good thing. I'm not doing any permanent damage. It's only effective while she sings. That's it."

"But what happens when those people hear her voice on TV or in stores on CDs? Then what?"

Victor frowned. "Well, at the time, I hadn't thought of that."

"I won't let you get away with it, damn it!"

The tall man's smile returned. "And just how do you intend to stop me? You're in no position to talk or make threats. I know what you're doing. You're trying to pull a fast one, aren't you? Playing pet while you secretly plot your escape."

Ichigo didn't speak. Had Victor figured him out already? Was it that obvious?

"But you haven't thought it through yet, have you?" He smirked. "Even if you do manage to get away from us, that would be breaking your deal. Linnette will sing and your family will die. Your friends will suffer. And just what do you plan to do to stop her from singing? Cut her throat? Make her sick so she'll be unable to sing? Please… That won't be enough to stop us from coming after your sorry ass. Besides, it's as you said. There are CDs out there with her voice on them. There really is no escape. Your little plan is folly."

Ichigo wanted so much to punch him in the face, but he kept his eye on Victor's finger hovering over the play button on the stereo. One false move and her song would stop him in his tracks. Victor was right. There were too many things stopping him. And him without his powers. At least then is Hollow rampage would be somewhat controlled. Stuck in a human body there wasn't much he could do.

Victor smiled and gave a soft chuckle. "Ichigo… You haven't even seen what we could do yet. Stop wasting your time. You may be able to fool Linnette if you try hard enough, but you won't fool us. You're still a threat to her. We've got our eye on you."

Ichigo forced himself to smile, but it was anything but charming. "What are you talking about? I'm not planning anything."

Victor stopped smiling. "What's with that sneer?"

"What sneer? It's a grin. I think it's funny that you think I'm up to something. I'm not trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes. What would make you think that?"

"The fact that you had to be persuaded to come. It was not of your own accord. That alone leaves plenty of room for doubt."

Ichigo kept up his smile. "No. You've got it all wrong. I've made my bed, now I'll sleep in it. It's like you said, I can't escape. So why should I try? I'm still here aren't I? And it's not because I'm waiting for my chance to run off. Where would I go? I have no money and I'm in unfamiliar territory. I've never been to this country before. And I have a bad sense of direction."

Victor wasn't buying it. "If so, then why the outburst moments ago?"

"That didn't mean anything. I was just upset at hearing how you plan to turn everyone into Hollows. That has nothing to do with the girl. That's between you and me."

Unable to think of a comeback or any further questions, Victor pointed out the door. "You may leave anytime you please."

Seeing the smile gone from his face was enough of a win for now. He needed some time to think of a new plan. For now he'll stick to fooling Linnette. Even if these two weren't fooled, she would be more likely to call them off if he got her over to his side. He needed to figure out how to stop those candies from being distributed to all those innocent people. Looks like he would have his hands full for quite a while.

X

The thunderous applause was testimony to Linnette's success. Even after she had left the stage, the audience continued to clap and cheer. Her concert that night had taken place at in indoor theater. It was a first-come first-serve deal, turning away anyone they didn't have a seat for. It was a splendid turnout seeing as how they had a full house. Many of the people in the audience were adults or elderly couples. Very few children showed up, but a few teenagers did, mostly boys attempting to catch a glimpse of the cute singer. She walked straight off the stage when she had finished towards the three men waiting for her. Linnette seemed to have forgotten the crowd calling for an encore and looked instead at the young man with his shoulder clasped by Victor's other hand, punctuating his enthusiastic opinion with a raised thumb.

"How'd you like it, Ichigo?"

He didn't answer right away. He had been hiding out in his soundproof trailer during her performance, coming out only when the two men had fetched him. He had no idea why they had done that and he failed to ask either of them.

"Do you like it?" she repeated.

"How the hell should I know? I wasn't listening."

She pouted. "Aw, too bad."

Victor griped Ichigo's shoulders more tightly, digging in his nails. It was almost as if he were daring him to give her a reason to hear her song and awaken his Hollow self. He didn't flinch, even when the pain became like a pair of claws ripping into his skin. His expression never changed.

"Linnette…" Ichigo tried to keep his voice calm, but inside, he was giving himself a thrashing for what he was about to force himself to say. "You… look… n- nice…"

She turned to him, a little surprised. "Hm? What was that?"

"You look very… pretty… tonight," he said through his teeth.

She paused and then smiled brightly at him. "Why, thank you!" Then she moved in and put a hand to his forehead. "Oh, you seem warm."

It was no wonder. Ichigo could feel his blood boiling inside of him.

Linnette snapped her fingers. "Cedric! A water for Ichigo. Now!"

The man ran off and returned with a bottle of ice water. He handed it to Ichigo. He took a small sip to please her.

Once she took her final bow and the audience had left, everyone returned to their hotel rooms. Apparently complimenting Linnette was good for Ichigo. Cedric was going to spend the night in his room but Linnette told him not to. Ichigo's reward for being nice to her was being allowed total privacy the whole night and a steak dinner in his room. The meal he enjoyed, but it was the privacy that he really wanted. Now he had plenty of time to think and didn't have to worry about being interrupted by one of the men. And he really didn't want to spend the night with Cedric in his room staring at him the whole time.

Ichigo took off his shoes and flopped down on the bed. This would be his last night in this suite. Tomorrow they were packing up and moving to a new hotel called the Waldorf. It was somewhere in New York city, their true destination. And that was when Victor would unleash his experiment on the unsuspecting crowd of people. It would be an all-day trip and one night's rest before the big concert. He had until then to come up with a plan. How was he going to stop them? He hadn't the slightest idea. Everything he came up with wasn't any good.

_I need help… _He normally didn't ask for help from anyone. But this time he truly needed it.

"Ichigo!"

He jumped at his name called by a very familiar voice. He sat up and looked at his window. Jumping to his feet with a gasp, Ichigo ran to great the Soul Reaper waiting for him out on the balcony.

"Rukia!" He let her inside. He still couldn't believe that it was really her. "What are you doing here? How'd you find me?"

She held up the magazine their classmate had brought in. "Your picture's in here along with all the information I need to find you. It said that Linnette was coming here to perform and since your picture was taken by paparazzi tailing her, I figured that you couldn't be too far behind. I'm no fool, Ichigo. I managed to put two and two together and figured out that you were with her."

He gave a huge sigh of relief. "Rukia… It's great to see you…"

She slapped him with the magazine. "You idiot! Everyone's been looking everywhere for you! You had us worried sick! We thought something had happened to you!"

"Come on! I-"

"You could have told us!"

"I would if I could! I'm watched like a hawk here! I can't do anything without them knowing about it. I'm being held prisoner!"

"Oh, yeah. Prisoner…" She looked around his spacious hotel room. "Yeah, they're really torturing you here. What's the matter, the high def TV only has 100 channels on it? Or let me guess. Your food was cold by the time they brought it up for you? Or wasn't the steak as bloody as you wanted it?" Rukia pointed to the half-eaten steak on the plate on his desk. "Yeah, you're really suffering."

"That's not it! Let me explain!"

Ichigo sat her down and told her everything. He told her about Linnette's threats, the two men's protection and the fact that they were always watching him. All the traveling, the hotels, the paparazzi. He even told her about the candy bars that they were planning on distributing to the unsuspecting crowd.

After all was said and done, Rukia nodded her head. "I had a feeling that that was the situation. I knew you wouldn't just up and leave us like that. There must have been something going on." She started to pace the room. "This is a tough situation."

"Tell me about it."

She thought aloud. "Let's see… She's human, so you can't kill her. And with all the witnesses and cameras around, there's no way you wouldn't get caught. And with her two bodyguards and their superhuman skills, they'll take you down before you get even close. But take all that away, you still have to worry about her singing. Not only that, but your family's in danger. Even if you did manage to get away, they'll just hunt you down and bring you back, not to mention hurt your family and friends. Then there's the issue of you being human. But that's the only thing keeping the true power of your Hollow locked up. If you become a Soul Reaper and she starts singing, you'll go all the way. It doesn't look like there's an upside to any of this."

"Thanks for repeating exactly what I already knew. I'm aware that I'm stuck. No need to point that out."

She sat on the bed with him. "You know, Ichigo… I'm here with you. And I've alerted the others. They're on their way now. And Urahara is working on a cure for those candies."

Ichigo looked up. "But how did he..?"

"Hitsugaya and Yumichika ate them before and went Hollow. Then Jinta got his hands on them. He's also trying to find a way around her singing. Just hang in there a little while longer, ok? We're here to help you out, you know. There's no shame in asking for help when you need it. It's more foolish not to ask and rush in without a plan or a way to win."

"I know that." Ichigo wrung his hands as he thought. What was he going to do? He couldn't let them do this alone.

"Ichigo. I've been working on an idea. If you can't touch her, maybe I can. As a Soul Reaper, I can sneak into her room and put a stop to this."

He scoffed. "Weren't you just saying that it's against the Soul Society laws to ever harm a human? It's illegal to kill one of the living. You can't touch her either."

"I never said I would kill her. I could just do something to her voice. Gag her. Then she can't sing."

"But what about her bodyguards? They're always there." He sighed heavily. "No. I can't let you."

"What do you mean you won't let me?" Rukia stood up. "You're not my boss. I don't take orders from you."

"You know what I mean." Ichigo forced himself to smile at her, hinting. "I'm already working on a plan of my own. As long as I serve her and treat her well, she'll allow me certain things. That's enough for me. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and when she lets her guard down, then you guys can swoop in."

Rukia rolled her eyes. "If you think that'll work… I suppose I can't dismiss it entirely. It just might work. We can give it a shot. In the meantime…" Rukia turned Ichigo's head up towards the light. "You look awful."

"Gee, thanks."

"When was the last time you slept?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't been sleeping very well. How can I with them always on my ass?"

"Well, you have bags under your eyes. Before we do anything, I want you to get some rest."

"But-"

Rukia shoved him down onto the bed. "I said get some rest! I'm not leaving until you get some sleep. You're not going to do anything in this condition. You're no use to us exhausted."

Ichigo stayed quiet. He knew that she was right. "Yeah, alright." He climbed under the covers, fully clothed except for his shoes and socks and laid down.

Rukia waited with him on the edge of his bed until he was asleep. Then she got up and paced the room. In truth, she had no idea if any of their plans would work.

* * *

Please review! ^-^


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

The next morning, everyone got up and left the hotel. Rukia was long gone when Ichigo woke up. He knew she was busy getting ready. They had a quick breakfast and piled into the limo. Ichigo stretched out his legs and looked out the window. He watched the tall buildings pass by, keeping a watchful eye out for any sign of Soul Reapers. After two hours, they finally made it to New York city. They stopped at the Waldorf hotel where they quickly unpacked and got ready for another meeting. But before that, there was another photo shoot. They had to get ready for that first. It was a lot of rushing around, but Ichigo didn't care. Whatever stalled her singing.

A concert was going to be held in Central Park the following night. Ichigo had until then to come up with some sort of plan. Though Rukia had advised against it, Ichigo couldn't just sit back and do nothing while the others ran around without a plan. Perhaps, rather than kill her, they would try to capture her instead. That could work. But how and what about afterward? Where would they keep her? And when would they do this if it were their true plan? Surely not in front of all the cameras and people gathered around to hear her song.

Ichigo was dragged out of his hotel room by Cedric and told to walk. Those were his only instructions. He didn't know where or for how long. But he didn't have to. Once he saw that they were heading outside, he immediately put on his sunglasses. Sure enough, paparazzi were already gathered outside, waiting for them with their cameras and a million questions. Ichigo was forced to follow close behind as Linnette's bodyguards flanked her on both sides. New York was strangely chilling even though it wasn't winter yet. The sky was grey and the air smelled of water and smoke. He tugged his hood up over his head to hide himself from the flashing cameras and the cool weather. Ichigo watched as countless passersby reached out for her through the tightly pressed paparazzi like prisoners through cell bars. They all wanted her.

Even his Hollow wanted her.

Everyone wanted her one way or another.

Ichigo felt himself being pulled into a building by Cedric's big muscular hands. The next thing he knew, he was standing in a tiny front room. He looked around. There were photos every which way he turned and just like the streets outside, it smelled like smoke and wood. He noticed a man standing behind a counter dressed in street clothes and a camera around his neck.

"I take it this is my 10:00 am?" he spoke in a thick accent that Ichigo doubted he would have been able to figure out even if he spoke the language fluently. Victor answered and got the star ready. Linnette was far too busy looking at the photos on the wall to notice. After everything was set, the man led them all up a narrow flight of stairs to the second floor. Upstairs was much cleaner and whiter. There were cameras everywhere as well as many props, sets and different outfits.

He knew what this meant at once and took a seat in an old chair off to the side. He sat there for the next two hours waiting for her photo shoot to end. He had no idea it would take this long to photograph one person. She took different poses in different outfits and locations. They pulled down various backgrounds and asked her to hold certain items for the next three dozen pictures.

By the time it ended it was noon and Ichigo was starving. They took a short lunch break. While Cedric stepped out to pick them up some food, Linnette took it upon herself to look around. Ichigo took note that Victor was talking to the photographer, leaving Linnette unsupervised.

Ichigo watched her as she curiously examined the different sets and background scrolls. Then she moved on to the other side of the room to play with some of the toys. She found a doll that she really seemed to like and started to play with it for a while. Soon she got bored again and started to walk around once more. That's when she discovered the computer hooked up to all the cameras. She sat down on the cushioned stool and started to play with the buttons.

That's when Ichigo got to his feet and intervened. He stood over her until she looked up. "You shouldn't be doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Pushing those buttons like that. You don't know what they do. You might screw everything up."

She kept pushing buttons. "So?"

"So I don't want to be here for another two hours while you guys fix everything you messed up."

She frowned at Ichigo and pouted a little. "It's not my fault."

"But you're the one pushing all the buttons!"

She turned and stared at him, finally stopping. She looked at him as if he had just spoken to her in some other language. "What are you talking about?"

There was only so much more he could take before he hauled off and punched her. How could she be this annoying?

"If you push buttons and something breaks, then you're responsible for it."

To his surprise, she actually looked puzzled. Wasn't she understanding this? She looked at the screen and back at him. "No, I'm not."

Just when he thought she couldn't get any more frustrating…

"But if you push the buttons and something goes wrong, that means that you're the one that did it and are at fault."

She shook her head. "No, I'm not. It's their fault."

"Who's?"

"The person who left this here for me to touch." Her smile had returned. "It's their fault, not mine."

"What kind of twisted logic is that?"

She pointed over her shoulder at Victor. "Victor tells me that stuff all the time. He says that I can do no wrong and that I'm perfect. So if something goes wrong, it's someone else's fault. Not mine."

Ichigo had to stop and think for a minute. Was it possible that she really wasn't evil at all and just ignorant? If Victor was her guardian and he was teaching her this stuff, then that meant that all these thoughts in her head, everything she believed was his doing. If he brought her up thinking that she was perfect in every way and could do no wrong, then it was impossible for her to know that what she was doing was wrong. Especially if he told her that it wasn't.

The photographer noticed Linnette at that moment and came rushing over. "Miss, please don't play with that. All my data is on that. If you press the wrong button, all the pictures I have on there will be lost."

Rather than side with the man, Victor looked angry with him. "Excuse me, but how was she to know that?"

"It's assumed that you don't touch things you don't know about."

"I just wanted to look at my pictures and see how they turned out…" Linnette whined.

"See?" Victor said matter-of-factly. "If you didn't tell her, then how was she to know? You've got to think of these things." Victor took Linnette by the hand and led her away from the computer. "Come, sweetie. That man is no professional, to say the least. He should have known better. My dear, if you want to look at your pictures, you go right ahead."

She smiled at him. "Really?"

"Of course. And rather than waste your time searching, I'll have him bring them right up for you. Just sit right there." Victor turned back to talk to the man checking his computer.

Now Ichigo understood a little more about her than he had before. All this time, he had been convincing himself that she was evil and that was that. Now he saw that she was actually still just an innocent child who needed to be taught. Clearly Victor wasn't doing that. He was filling her head with the wrong ideas. She was just an impressionable child.

Cedric returned with a bag of fast food and they all sat down by the window to eat. Ichigo noticed that Victor and Cedric didn't have any of their own. Though they had bought three meals, it seemed that two of them were meant for Linnette and the last for Ichigo.

"Hey, aren't you guys going to eat?"

They looked at each other and Victor chuckled. "Oh, Ichigo… Do you honestly think that I would fill my body with this commoner food? Please. I only eat the finest things money can buy. Gourmet is the only thing I eat. Not this dribble."

"Then can I have a word with you privately for a minute?" Ichigo stood up and walked to the door, waiting for Victor to follow.

At last, he did and the two walked out into the hall and into the stairwell. Victor corrected his tie and looked at the teen. "So what's this about?"

"It's about Linnette."

He started laughing. "Not this again. I thought we've been through this."

"It's not about that this time. It's something else. Something more important."

Now he was interested. Victor turned his body towards him, giving him undivided attention. "Yes?"

"You are her legal father, right?"

As if he hadn't heard him, Victor just stared at him, his face unchanged. But after meeting Ichigo's serious brown eyes, he forced a smile. "Why, of course I am. I adopted her, after all. It's all perfectly legal. There are even papers to prove it. You can even research it at the state, if you like. But I don't see-"

"If you are her adopted father, then it's your responsibility to raise her right. Telling her that she's perfect in every way isn't doing your job as a parent. And convincing her that she can never do anything wrong isn't right, either. It's wrong. She's going to grow up thinking that she can do anything she wants and that it has no effect on anybody around her."

"But she can." This time, it was Victor who had the cold tone. Like Linnette. Now it became clear where she had picked it up from. "She can do whatever she wants because it makes her happy."

"But she's hurting other people. And you tell her that it's ok?"

"Of course. They're just people. There are countless of them out there. What does it matter if we hurt a few here and there? We have no emotional attachment to them whatsoever so why should we care if they get hurt? And of course I tell her that it's ok. She has no idea that she's even hurting them. I've been telling her for years that it isn't bad. What she does is a good thing and if it makes her happy, then there's nothing wrong with it."

"But those are families out there, damn it!"

"So what? I've brought her up to view others as toys. Merely objects to be used for her enjoyment and nothing more. If one breaks, get a new one. And you are her pet. It isn't a derogative term she uses to put you down in the least. It's only what she sees you as. You're there to please her and make her happy. That's what I've told her. She doesn't view people as people. That isn't how I brought her up."

Now that he heard it for himself, Ichigo actually had an easier time grasping what was going on. Linnette was adopted at an impressionable age and raised by this man who taught her such things. Clearly it wasn't all her fault. It was mainly his for never telling her 'no' or to know the difference between right and wrong.

"But she was still a child when you adopted her, right? She became your kid. It became your duty to teach her right from wrong. And part of being a good parent is telling them 'no'."

Victor was laughing again as if Ichigo had just told a funny joke. "You don't understand, do you? When I adopted her, she was only a shell of herself. She was depressed and defeated, going through life always hearing that word. Families told her 'no', teachers told her 'no', other children, adults, strangers, people on the street always told her 'no'. So when I took her in, I promised her that I would never tell her 'no'. Not ever. Being told 'no' all her life was very upsetting for her. It hurt her feelings. It made her sad, it made her angry. No one likes being told 'no'. So I promised her that she would never hear it from me. I would never do anything to upset her in anyway. I am here only for her happiness. That's it."

"But being told 'no' is a part of growing up. God knows my parents told me 'no' all the time and sure, I hated it at the time and it made me angry, but I got over it. And after doing a little growing up, I realized that they were only trying to protect me and to teach me. That's what a good parent does. That's what you're supposed to do. Not bring her up thinking that nothing she does has any effect on those around her."

Victor stood still as if absorbing his words. Then he grinned and started back up the stairs again. "Well, then it's a good thing that I am first and foremost her agent."

Knowing that his words had no effect on the situation whatsoever, Ichigo counted his blessings and followed him back up the stairs into the photo room.

Upstairs, Linnette and Cedric were playing with french-fries and her empty soda cup. A child's game. Ichigo had never noticed it before, but now he saw her as she really was: a child. They weren't raising her to grow up. They were keeping her in a childish state of mind, telling her all the wrong things. Maybe she wasn't so evil after all.

But she still needed to be stopped. No matter what, that's what needed to happen. Innocent people would get hurt otherwise and Ichigo couldn't stay here with her forever.

"Sir, could you please help me?" The photographer was calling Cedric to help him open a box of fresh supplies. He was asked to hold the cardboard box steady while he opened it with a box cutter. As Cedric held it in place, the smaller man sliced across the box with the sharp blade. Halfway to the end, it got jammed in the thick cardboard. After jerking it and wiggling it around a few times, unsuccessfully, he pulled as hard as he could on the blade and it came free, slicing across the box and into Cedric's finger. The man jumped back. "Oh, dear. I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

Cedric held up his unmarked finger. "Just fine. It missed."

"Are you sure? I thought I felt it hit you. The blade stopped once it reached your hand."

Cedric showed him his hand. There was no cut. "It's not a big deal. I'm sure it missed. I would have felt it if it hit."

X

The meeting that afternoon was short and Victor did most of the talking. Linnette clung to Ichigo's arm the whole time as if he were her boyfriend. "Wanna have some food, Ichigo?"

Hungry, he agreed. After the meeting was over, Linnette dragged Ichigo down the hall and down the stairs out into an alley. She pulled him down the busy streets towards a tall building. Everything was everywhere. Ichigo could hardly move. There were people snapping pictures, talking on phones, carrying suitcases, running, yelling and bumping into one another. Car horns filled the air as well as a million voices and different smells. This was why Ichigo never liked busy cities. Too crowded and far too noisy. Even though the streets were all numbered, he still had a hard time finding where he was. But Linnette seemed to know exactly where she was going. She pulling him into a building Ichigo would never have noticed if it hadn't been for her shoving him into it.

This building was very confusing even on the inside. Everything seemed to have been pushed inside making it impossible to tell what this store actually was. It looked like a convenient store, a books store and a restaurant all piled into one small location. Books and magazines lines one wall and wrapped halfway across the next and on the other wall were large freezer doors storing tons of snacks and sodas. There were other freezers and racks in the middle of the store for people to take what they wanted and there were two cash registers not too far from where they stood. To the right near the large windows were small round tables like in a café and two armchairs. Linnette was off, running up and down the aisles, grabbing as much food as she could carry and brought it up to the cashier. With no American money of his own, Ichigo was forced to let her pay.

Once she purchased her goodies, she picked out a spot closest to the window and told Ichigo to sit. He did as he was told and looked at the snacks that she had bought. He picked up a wrapped apple pie and started eating it. It was cold. He liked it better when it was nice and hot. Linnette swung her legs under the table, kicking him a few times while she ate her cookies and cake. She handed him a soda bottle with a smile. He took it but didn't drink. She picked up an orange soda and gulped it down.

"So how do you like New York?" she asked him.

"Fine," he lied.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

She opened another package of cookies. "My concert's going on tonight. Victor just made out the schedule. It seems so soon, doesn't it?"

Ichigo gripped his bottle tightly. "Yeah, I know." He didn't expect it to happen so fast. Where was everyone? They should have been here by now. He couldn't do this alone.

Linnette giggled. "You know, Victor keeps telling me that you're out to get me and that you're only being nice to me to hurt me. But that can't be true. We're here all alone and nothing's happening."

Ichigo just grunted.

Linnette ate her chocolate cookie and looked out the window. She gave a little smile. "I am glad that they care that much about me, though. No one ever did when I was growing up. They just passed me by or wanted to hurt me."

Ichigo remembered what she had told him the first time they met in her trailer. She had a rough life. Back then he wasn't really listening to her. But now he was intrigued. "Rough, huh?"

She nodded. "If they hadn't picked me up, I don't know what I'd do. They're the only ones I have in this world. I don't have anybody else to take care of me. And no one else to love me." Then she looked back at him. "Well, at least now I have you."

Ichigo took a sip of his soda. "Ever think that instead of blackmailing someone into being with you, you could always, I don't know, try to be their friend first?"

Her smile went away. "I don't know how to do that."

"You be nice."

Her face twisted into a frown. "Nice? You mean like all those people who passed me by on the streets when I was little or all the kids who beat me up for being myself? Or perhaps like all the parents who wanted someone else? Or maybe like the people who never cared enough to ask me how I was or if I was hungry or cold or scared or lonely?" She turned away from him in an angry huff. "No. I don't know how to be nice. Seeing as how I was never treated kindly by anyone myself. I wouldn't know what that looks like or how to do it."

"But those two are nice to you. Can't you pick it up from them?" Ichigo was of course referring to Victor and Cedric.

She looked back at him. "With them, I only know how to take it. Not give it. They never showed me how to do that."

"You know well enough to fake it."

"Huh?"

"The sweet little girl thing I see you do."

She smiled. "That's not fake. Victor told me that that's how I'm supposed to act around people who are going to give me a job or role of some sort. They only give them out to 'sweet little cuties' as Victor puts it."

Ichigo sat back in his chair. "Still… If you really want to make friends, you should try a different approach."

She moved closer to him. "Be honest, Ichigo, would you have come with me willingly if I had asked you nicely?" When he didn't answer, she knew that she was right. "I only did what Victor told me would be right. And you came, just like he said you would."

"And all that crap about hurting my family if I ran off?"

She sat back and sighed. "That's just to keep you from leaving. I love the attention. Your Hollow treats me the way I want to be treated. He likes me and I want to be liked. So far, I've only been able to get that by doing what Victor says. I love what I have."

"So treat them well and they won't go."

She shook her head. "No. According to Victor, there's always a chance that they will tire of you and leave you behind. If you control them or keep them on a leash, they'll never leave you."

That's why he was here. That's why she treated him this way. She was lonely and just didn't know how to keep people from leaving her. Her life back then, the life she had now with Victor and his teachings… It was no wonder why this was how she thought. Why she did the things she did.

The door to the store opened right on cue and in came her two protectors.

Victor marched right over and stood beside Linnette. "You shouldn't run off like that."

She pouted. "Sorry, but I got hungry and the meeting wasn't a luncheon, so…"

Cedric stood behind Ichigo's chair, growling softly. He still didn't trust him.

"Knock it off, Cedric," Linnette told him. "Ichigo's been a perfect gentlemen this whole time. It's ok. Don't worry so much."

He stopped growling but didn't move from that spot.

"Come." Victor held out his arm for Linnette to take. "We have lots to do before this evening. You're due on stage at 7:00. The parts for the stage just got in."

"Oh, good. So they're setting up?"

"Indeed. Which means you need to get ready yourself."

X

The concert was that evening at Central Park. At Linnette's request, they took a carriage ride into the park. It was very relaxing having a horse pull a cushioned wagon through the shady trees, listening to the hoof beats and the wind. What made it less enjoyable was having Cedric staring at him the whole way. Linnette sat beside Ichigo while Victor and Cedric sat opposite them. The carriage ride took them all the way to where the stage was being set up. Their trailers had been brought as well. This was good news for Ichigo. While he waited for the Soul Reapers to take care of things, he could hide out there during her songs. It was the only protection he had.

The perpetrations were made and the stage was set. Now all they needed was the star and a crowd. People were lining up outside the park waiting to be let in. Policemen were gathered around the gates, trying to hold people back and others were directing traffic, seeing as how the crowd was spilling out into the streets. Ichigo kept a close eye on things while he waited for the others to show up. Kisuke was supposed to be working on something that would prevent them from turning into Hollows in addition to a cure. Ichigo couldn't wait.

At 6:00, people were starting to be let in for the concert. Also at that time, Victor brought out a box of candy and started to fill baskets with them. Ichigo recognized them immediately and knew he had to put a stop to it. He couldn't let those people eat them. But when he moved to grab the box away, Victor looked up with a smile.

"Linnette, I think Ichigo wants to her you warm up a little before you start."

Ichigo froze in place. _Damn it! If I get too close, he'll send her out and she'll sing. What do I do now?_ He had to think of something. He couldn't let this happen.

As people came in, they noticed the staff handing out sweets in the baskets. A group came by and investigated. A group of girls inspected the candy, wondering if they should eat it. A couple of daring girls took some out and started to unwrap them. A few other people took a sample but didn't eat it right away. Instead they held onto them.

Taking a different approach, Ichigo took a candy out of the basket and took a bite out of the candy, but he didn't eat it. He spat it out into the grass and moved closer to the group of girls. Knowing how girls reacted to their appearance, Ichigo knew just what to say. Talking just loud enough to be heard by the group, Ichigo called out a list of ingredients that was sure to get their attention. Which included the phrase '660 calories' and '200 grams of sugar'. Needless to say, the girls tossed the candy aside and looked down at their stomachs a little concerned. He went over to the other people and made gagging noises while crumpling up the wrapper and half eaten candy and tossing it away. The unopened candy made it back to the basket in no time. But more people were starting to come in. And if they brought in small children, how would he manage to convince them not to eat candy? That was a tough one.

Just as he managed to scare away the candy from another girl and her boyfriend by pretending that he found a bug crawling around inside the wrapper, a hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder. He turned and saw Victor frowning at him. "That's not very nice."

Ichigo brushed his hand off and stood toe to toe with him.

"Knock it off, Ichigo. You have no power here to challenge me. One more false move and I will have her sing for you. Try me."

Ichigo said nothing in return.

"Come. You have to change your outfit. Her show will be starting in a few minutes so you must get yourself ready. Can't have you seen in that outfit."

Ichigo looked down at his jeans and t-shirt as Victor pulled him into his trailer. He took out a suit from the closet and tossed it to him, ordering him to get dressed. As he left, Victor turned on the TV. Ichigo wasn't sure why he had done that until he noticed what was on the screen. It was the gates of Central Park. A reporter was talking about the show in front of a poster of Linnette. Was this live? Now he understood. Victor wanted to show Ichigo that if he tried anything, it would be recorded by all the cameras. Just another thing stopping him from making a move. He turned off the TV and finished dressing.

Once that was out of the way, Ichigo noticed the time. It was 6:30. In a half-hour, Linnette would start singing. And there was still no sign of Rukia or any of the other Soul Reapers. He was running out of time.

Ichigo left the trailer and passed by Linnette's. From inside, he could hear humming. His legs stopped working. He was frozen in place under her open window. She was humming her song to herself as she got ready for the performance. Inside, Ichigo could hear purring. It was his Hollow self again.

_"Ah, yes… Sing… I love that song, don't you, King? Simply intoxicating_…"

Ichigo fought to move, but he couldn't. Right now, he was counting himself lucky that his Hollow hadn't taken over yet.

_"Aw, don't be like that… I happen to like her voice… It's very nice_…"

"Sh… shut up..!" he managed to say.

_"Hm? Did I strike a nerve? Sorry, your majesty_…"

He could feel his smirk. It was all he could do not to let him take over. "Just shut the hell up."

_"Oh… But I wanted to have some fun… Ah, well… I can wait. It's been a while since the last time she sang me out… I'm still drowsy. But if you do anything to piss her off tonight, I'll be nice and awake to cheer her up. Heh heh heh..!" _

The humming stopped and his Hollow's laugh faded away. Able to move again, Ichigo sprinted away. He hide behind the stage, panting. The show would start soon. Maybe he should hide in his trailer.

"Ichigo."

He turned and saw Rukia standing behind him in a gigai.

"I brought you this." She handed him something wrapped in a white cloth.

He took it and unwrapped it. It was his Soul Badge. Seeing it brought a thin smile to his face.

"And also these." She then handed him a pair of green earplugs. "Urahara made them. They're designed to distort music so her song shouldn't effect you. We tested them out on Jinta. They seem to work."

Ichigo smiled. "Thanks, Rukia."

"The others are wearing them as well. They should be here soon. Urahara's still working on a cure for the Hollowfication. He said it should be ready by tonight. He'll bring it to this location when he's done."

"I hope it's soon. She's going on his a few minutes."

"I know. How are things going on your end?"

"Other than the fact that I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place, I'm doing great."

She chuckled. "I know what you mean…"

"Ichigo!" Cedric was calling his name.

Ichigo grabbed Rukia and shoved her under the stage. "Hide!"

As soon as she was out of sight, Cedric appeared. "What are you doing? She's about to go on!"

"Yeah, and?"

"And she won't go on without you there to wish her luck."

"In that case…"

Cedric's hand whipped out and grabbed Ichigo's shoulder. "Don't be a smartass. She'll go on no matter what. It just makes her happier if she sees you first." He looked around. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

He shrugged. "No reason."

Cedric wasn't buying it. "Don't even think about it."

"Think about what?"

"Those Soul Reapers. We don't want you associating with them anymore. From now on, you stay away from them."

"Why should I?" Ichigo's eyes challenged Cedric's.

"Because I said so. And if you do, you'll regret it. If I see you make contact with them at all, I'll make sure that you have a nice front row seat to her next concert."

After glaring at each other for a while, Cedric walked away. Rukia stuck her head out from under the stage.

"You should do as he says for now. We still don't have a plan for stopping her just yet. Think of all those people out there and your own safety."

Without turning to look at her, Ichigo said softly, "That's not all. Those candy things they're handing out are filled with a new potion that will turn these people into real Hollows, mind and body."

"Mind and body? No way we'll let that happen." She crawled out from under the stage. "In the meantime, just do as they say and play along like you have. We'll handle the rest."

"Right. Good luck."

"You, too."

Ichigo went to Linnette's trailer and knocked on the door. "I'm here."

He was let in by Victor. "It's about time. Sweetie, he's here."

The star came out in a black dress with frills and lace and a black rose in the middle of her chest. She had on a matching black choker and dark gloves, as if dressed for a Goth festival. She even had on fishnet stockings and platform heels. This was a change from her usual happy if not childish persona she displayed in public.

She twirled about, showing off her new look. "What do you think, Ichigo?"

"It suits you." This time, he didn't lie.

"Good! I wanted to try a little something different tonight."

"Just a moment." Victor took a brush off her table and ran it over her hair. "There, perfect. Now turn, let me see the front."

She danced around the trailer, showing off every side of her body to the two men.

Victor clapped his hands together. "Beautiful. Absolutely stunning! You'll knock them dead tonight, dear."

She skipped over to him and gave him a hug. "Kiss for luck?"

He bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek like a loving father.

Then she pointed at the only other person in the trailer. "Next."

Ichigo flinched. "Next what?"

"What do you think? Give her a kiss."

"No!"

She moved towards him, pointing to her cheek. "Come on, Ichigo. Please?"

"Forget it!"

She pouted. "Fine." She took Victor's hand. "Let's go. I want to sing now."

"Very good, princess." Victor led her out of the trailer and over towards the stage.

Ichigo wasn't far behind. He watched as Victor and Cedric both led her up the stairs to the stage, giving her kisses and hugs. It was at that moment Ichigo saw her for who she was without the voice: a little girl. That's right. She wasn't wanted by her family and was abandoned. She was bullied by other children and discarded by adults. She lived a good part of her life alone and without a family. All she wanted was a family and she finally got it. Victor and Cedric were her only family. They loved and cared for her. Cedric alone was very protective of her and kept a close eye on Ichigo for fear of him hurting her. And these fans of hers… They gave her something she wanted her whole life: love and approval. They clapped and cheered for her every time she walked out onto that stage and sang. They called out her name when she was gone from sight, wanting more. They gave her the attention she wanted for so long. Take away the voice and all Ichigo could see was a lonely, helpless little girl.

As she walked across the stage, the lights dimmed and the audience clapped and cheered.

Cedric walked by Ichigo, whispering in his ear as he passed, "Don't do anything stupid."

Victor smiled at Ichigo as he stood by the stairs, watching her make her way to the microphone center stage.

Ichigo jumped realizing what was about to take place. He had almost forgotten what was about to happen and ran. As he ran past the guardrails and six-foot-tall speakers, he heard his name being called. Soul Reaper Rukia was in the crowd pointing to her ears, signaling him to put his earplugs in.

Gripping his badge tightly, he pressed it to his chest for the first time in at least a week and left his body behind. It felt so good to be in power again. He shoved the earplugs into his ears and looked back at the stage.

Linnette opened her mouth and began her song.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: **

"Nusquam somes

tantum crimen nex

meus carmen increbresco

EGO sum questio vobis , meus diligo."

The earplugs appeared to be working. Her song was off-key and gargled. With her song distorted, Ichigo was unaffected by her spell. This could work.

Rukia appeared at his side and pointed to the crowd. "Hitsugaya and the others just arrived here as well. They'll be handling things in the audience. The Soul Society won't allow us to kill her. It's against the law to harm a living human. However, we are allowed to stop her from singing. We have to get her away from the mic. It won't solve the problem, but if we cover her mouth, she won't be able to sing anymore. That's the plan for now."

"Too bad you couldn't come up with anything better." Ichigo looked around. There was no news crew or anyone with a video camera. However, a couple paparazzi managed to sneak their way in and were taking pictures of the performance. Luckily, they couldn't see them. "Rukia, the cameras."

"Yeah, I know. We won't show up on film, but if we attack her, they will see her jumping around and getting attacked by nothing. But I could always tamper with their memories."

"Ok, let's do this then!"

Together Ichigo and Rukia stormed the stage.

"Cope per is totus,

Alveus in nox noctis,

Audite meus carmen,

Quod diligo mihi…"

Her singing never stopped. Ichigo started to wonder if she even knew they were there.

"Ichigo!"

He heard Rukia scream his name and turned in time to see Cedric plowing into her from the side. Next, Ichigo found himself face to face with Victor standing toe to toe with him.

"Now, that's not very nice, Ichigo. You shouldn't try to interrupt the performance. How rude."

Ichigo pulled out his blade and slashed at him. To his great surprise, Victor caught it in his bare hand and held it perfectly still inches from his shoulder. Despite his fingers being wrapped around the blade's sharp edge, he wasn't cut. He didn't look like he was in any pain at all.

"Ichigo… Don't do this. Remember, we own you. Now why don't you be a good little pet and heel?"

"I'm not your damn bitch! Nor will I ever be!" Ichigo tried to punch Victor in the face with his left hand but the man threw him up into the air like a toy and followed up after him. Once in the air, Ichigo stared at the sight of Victor standing in midair next to him. "You're… not human."

"Hm?" Victor looked down at his body. "Am I? Aw, don't you have any imagination at all?"

"How can you do that? A human can't do that! How are you-?"

Victor put a finger to his lips and shushed him. "Shh… You're disturbing the performance. Listen…"

"EGO sum vox vocis,

Of diligo ut cannot ago,Etiamnunc is nunquam dies!"

People in the crowd started to behave strangely. Some hunched over moaning while others doubled over in the grass holding their sides. Others were beginning to sway about as if they were drunk and many more just stood still holding their heads and groaning in pain.

"Ah…" Victor watched the crowd with an amused look on his face. "This is it."

A woman tried to console her boyfriend as he feel to his knees in agony. As soon as she placed a hand on his back, his shirt split open as his body expanded. She leapt away in horror. Another boy with a group of friends writhed around in the grass, holding his stomach. When one of them got too close, a long arm reached out and slashed him across the face. The long arm was coming from his fallen friend's sleeve. He sat up, one eye a bright yellow and the other a faded brown color. A scream was heard somewhere else as a child's head suddenly sprouted horns and fangs.

"Th- they're…" Ichigo gasped.

"Yes. The mixture seems to be working." Victor looked like a kid on Christmas morn. "How exciting."

The humans were turning into Hollows.

A group of girls holding the empty wrappers of tainted candy started to howl and their arms grew to the length of their bodies and their backs arched. Their shirts split as spikes extended from their spines. Their jaws elongated and grew large fangs. They turned their attention to the unaffected humans and growled. Every person in this audience was a tasty snack to them now.

A woman screamed as her date lashed out at her, his transformation nearly complete. He had the lower half of a human in torn jeans but the rest of his body was Hollowfied. He was trying to rip the woman apart with his long claws. Another cry rang out as a little girl turned on her father and tried to bite his neck.

A flash of black zoomed by as Ikkaku forced the girl off her father's chest. Another flash as the other Soul Reapers came to fend off the humans turned Hollow.

At the same time surrounding concertgoers had panicked as they realized what was going on. Frantic shrieks had echoed out from different areas of the audience. At least 30 Hollows had appeared within the crowd of several hundred people. The audience members rushed in confusion toward the entrance gate, desperate to escape. People were already being crushed in the stampede of people. A Hollow greeted them at the gate, snarling ferociously. There was no escape.

"Dear me…" Victor sighed, looking down at the crowd. "It would seem that these human-Hollows can be seen by the public."

"You… bastard..!"

"Hm?" Victor turned nonchalantly toward Ichigo. "What was that?"

Ichigo raised his head and let him have it. "You bastard! How could you do this to those innocent people! This is unforgivable! They're killing each other! Don't you see what you've done? You've turned humans into Hollows! And for what? Just to entertain the masses? Or was it all for your little diva?"

Victor turned his body to face Ichigo completely with a serious look on his face. "Actually, she doesn't know about this."

Ichigo found it difficult to answer. "Wh… what?"

"That's right. My actions are my own. She has no idea that I'm using my own concoction to turn these people into Hollows. I wasn't ordered to do this. This was something that I wanted on my own. Believe me, it wasn't easy. But I do like the results."

Ichigo pointed to the crowd as even more people started to transform into monsters. "You enjoy this? Damn it, those are families down there! You've got them attacking each other! How dare you?"

Victor's expression did not change, even when Ichigo spat his words out at him with his sword in hand. "It doesn't bother me."

"Well, it does me!" Ichigo lunged at him and once again, Victor's hand caught his blade.

"You still don't get it, do you?" He twisted it back effortlessly. "I'm more powerful than you are. I'm not a Soul Reaper. I'm not a Hollow. My strength even surpasses that of normal humans. No matter which way you look at it, I'm better than you. Just give it up. Stop this useless fighting. I will win."

Ichigo released his grip off his sword's handle in favor of punching Victor instead while keeping his left hand on the weapon. Victor took Ichigo's punch to the jaw and he could hear the man's neck crack from the force. Then a second cracking noise as he twisted his head back into alignment. He smirked, unhurt and punched Ichigo back.

Ichigo's body soared in a straight line through the air, forcing Ichigo to dig his heels in the air to slow himself. He stood panting and found Victor in his face yet again delivering a second punch, this one sending him straight to the ground. A burst of smoke and earth rose up as if the ground had been hit with an artillery shell. Ichigo climbed out of the hole and coughed. He scanned for any sign of Victor, but the man was no longer in sight.

In the center of the crowd, Hitsugaya was fighting with all he could to keep the Hollows at bay while trying not to injure them. He kept telling himself over and over again that these were still living human beings and therefore couldn't be killed. He had to hold back as much as he could until Kisuke finished the cure. It shouldn't be long now.

But now more Hollows had shown up in the crowd of scrambling people. The massive Hollows at the entrance gate were the only things keeping everyone in. Hitsugaya had worked out a plan. After everyone was cured, he and the others would erase everyone's memory. But since the replacement memories would be random, there was no telling what the media was going to believe. They may just rule this incident as a rave gone bad with too much drinking and drugs. That suited Hitsugaya just fine. He didn't have to explain himself to the news media. But there was still the matter of the cameras that were still recording the action. But he couldn't do anything about that now. He was far too busy keeping control over the Hollows. Everyone had their hands full.

Suddenly, the captain sensed something appear behind him like the wind. "Tsk, tsk… You can't enjoy the concert like that, my dear boy. Let me help you with that."

As he turned to meet the person standing behind him, he felt his earplugs leave his head. He gasped and quickly covered his ears, but the damage was already done. Victor juggled the earplugs in his hand as he watched Hitsugaya's transformation. His back arched and his body grew. The harder he fought to remain in control, the harder it was to maintain it.

Victor flashed away and appeared behind Yumichika while he was distracted by a wandering Hollow. He snatched away the earplugs and relished in the sound of Yumichika's growls. He could hear her song.

"Permissum mihi take vos!

Permissum mihi usus vos!

Operor ut es mei!"

The two Soul Reapers changed and joined the other Hollows in their rampage.

Ichigo spotted them as Linnette's song ended. He was on his feet in a second, charging after Victor.

As he did, a new song started. This one was softer, but it still caused people to transform.

The moment he caught up to the man responsible for all of this, he slammed his whole body into him, full-force. Victor was cast straight into a trailer, breaking through the exterior wall with a thunderous boom, rolling the trailer onto its side. Victor tossed away a huge solid-wood wardrobe with one hand and lifted himself up. He looked like a disheveled tornado survivor. He stood on top of overturned furniture, brushing himself off. He didn't have a scratch on him.

"Finished, yet?" he asked loudly so Ichigo could hear him over the crowd's screams and roar of Hollows.

What does it take to bring him down? What was he?

X

Rukia was thrown to the ground by Cedric. He wasn't trying to kill her, but keep her as far away from the stage as possible where Linnette continued. As Rukia lay under a park bench, her phone rang. She tucked herself into a ball and answered between her knees, "Hello? Urahara?"

"Yeah, it's me," his voice came slightly static. "I'm putting on the finishing touches now. We should be there in a few minutes. Can you hold on 'til then?"

"Uh, yeah." Rukia flinched as she saw a Hollow come running past her hiding spot, chasing after a woman. "Just hurry up! I don't know how much longer we can last out here like this!"

"Oh, yeah. That's the other thing."

"What is?" She moved closer to the phone to hear him over the screams and rumbling going on around them.

"I found out something about those two men she travels with. You know, Cedric and Victor."

"Yeah, and?"

"They don't exist." There was a pause before Kisuke continued. "They have no profiles and no backgrounds. Whatever company Victor gets his money from isn't real. He's rich, but his money comes from nowhere. Same thing goes for Cedric. No one claims to have employed him. No one's even heard of him."

"Wait, what are you saying?"

"There's something else you should know about Linnette. I came across this in my research…"

X

Ichigo stood panting, sword pointed at Victor. No matter what he tried, this man would not go down. Not only that, but he didn't have a scratch on him. He truly was superhuman. He stood in the air across from Ichigo with folded arms and a bored look on his face.

"Are you through?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Not by a long shot!"

"Fine." He picked up the wardrobe from before and threw it at him. Ichigo dodged the wardrobe which easily weighted 600 pounds and soared back at Victor in another attempt to cut him. Victor blocked with his bar hand and held Ichigo's sword in place. "Please don't do this," he whispered in his ear. "She doesn't want her new toy broken. But there's only so much I can hold back before I truly hurt you."

"What?" He wasn't trying to hurt him? Was he playing with him?

"Dear Ichigo… What she wants she gets. Haven't you figured that out by now?"

"Ichigo!" Rukia was standing under them looking up. "Ichigo!"

"Rukia! What the hell-?"

"Ichigo, Hitsugaya and Yumichika lost their earplugs! They went Hollow!"

"Damn it!" Ichigo fought to tear his weapon back from Victor's grip.

"Ichigo, that's not all." She took a quick look around as more Hollows started to appear, attacking one another. "Kisuke's on his way right now!"

"That's a relief. I can't take much more of this. If they were real Hollows this wouldn't be such a pain in the ass. Those we could kill. But that still doesn't solve the problem with these guys. They're human after all."

Rukia cupped her hands around her mouth as Hollows started to roar for Ichigo to hear her. "It's not what you think, Ichigo! Victor and Cedric aren't human! They're not real!"

Ichigo looked back down at her. "What? What the hell's that mean?"

"They're not real! Victor and Cedric don't exist! They're just figments of Linnette's imagination!"

Victor stared at Rukia as if she had just slapped him in the face. But his shock quickly turned to mild surprise and then to amusement. He chuckled and sprang apart from Ichigo. "So how did you know?"

Rukia glared daggers at him. "While Urahara was working on a cure, he came across something strange. He wanting to find out more about her and how her powers came to be, he did a background check on you guys. When he did, he discovered that there's no record of you or Cedric anywhere. You just popped up out of nowhere. And your agent job… No one's ever heard of you and you're not registered. No company claims to have hired you or anything. You have no education or birth certificate papers or anything. No family or even a last name. Not an existing one, at least. That, and Urahara also looked up photos of you from the time when Linnette was adopted by you and now. You haven't aged a day. You're not real. She created you."

Victor smirked. "You're right. I'm not real by your rights. I don't bleed, I don't need to sleep nor do I have to eat. I exist. That's all I do. I don't even age. Cedric's the same. We were both made by her."

Ichigo managed to form the only words he could. "H- how did..? How are you..?"

Smiling, Victor explained. "There's something you must understand about Linnette." He looked back at the stage where she was singing. "My dear, sweet Linnette…"

He looked like a father watching his only child perform in front of the whole world, loved by all and loving what she did. He looked so proud and happy. He looked like he loved her greatly.

"For years I've tried to understand the way her powers work, but I just can't. I just decided that it's simply creativity. You know how an artist creates a painting out of nothing? A blank canvas quickly turns into a work of art. What wasn't there before is suddenly there for all to see. An artist breathes life into their work. And it all starts with an idea. An idea and a feeling. Artists create with their spirit. A passion. A longing."

Victor traced the outline of Linnette on stage with his finger. It was as if he was framing her like a work of art herself. He gave a bittersweet smile through a sigh.

"She's been discarded all her life. Her true family didn't want her, and no other family wanted her. She lived in an orphanage, watching all the others leave with their new families. She stayed behind to get bullied by the others and overlooked by the adults. She wandered off one day and lived on the streets where she was also overlooked by everyone. Then she went to another orphanage only to have the whole thing start all over again. No one wanted her. She was unhappy and had no talent for anything, really. And then she started to sing. She put a little of her soul into her voice and sang. That alone became her only talent."

Her song filled the air, as if proving Victor's point. But thanks to his earplugs, all Ichigo could hear was a gargled melody.

"But all she really wanted was a family. She wanted to be loved and know what it was like to be wanted and cared for by others. She sang her lament to the heavens, asking for her wish to be fulfilled. She wanted to be discovered. She wished it. And so I came into being. Out of nowhere, I appeared with Cedric, I the loving father and he the strong protector. She wished for us and so we came. We were created from her longing. She wanted it hard enough and her power granted her just that. She imagined me with everything I needed. A name, a false background and loads of money and even a large house to live in. Just as she dreamed, I came and heard her song. And just as she wished, I found out where she lived and adopted her on the spot. That's how it works. She wants it, she gets it."

"So…" Ichigo tired to wrap his head around all this. "She can create real imaginary friends? Ones that can be seen by others and ones believable enough to not arouse suspicion?"

"In a nutshell, yes. Like I said, I've tried for years to figure that out myself. But I accept it as it is."

"But her song… and the Hollows..? Then what the hell is she?"

Rukia answered that one. "She's human, Ichigo. But her powers came to be in a similar way they did with Chad and Orihime. Only with her, she had Spirit Energy to begin with. Her powers just developed over time and have become stronger."

Victor traced the area over where his heart was with a loving smile. "It's as if I'm programmed. I have the information I need to be real and serve as her caretaker without ever being taught. I suppose she did that as well. But still… I wonder if I'm programmed to love her as well. Hm, all the same, it doesn't matter. I feel the way I feel." He looked back at her for a second time. "And when I hear her song, I feel as if she's breathing life into me all over again. I feel this power swelling up inside of me and this feeling overtakes me. I feel so alive. This burning passion, this feeling of longing… I wonder if these Hollows feel the same way I do."

Rukia and Ichigo both noticed that the Hollows had stopped attacking and stood watching Linnette on stage, listening.

Victor clasped his hands over his chest with a smile. "Oh, how I love this song. I love her voice. I wonder if I feel this way because it's the song that gave me life or because it reminds me that I am… Linnette is my daughter now because I took her in and promised to care for her. But she gave me life so in a way, she's also my mother. And just like the Hollows, I love her to pieces. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel, but no matter how you look at it, I love her with every ounce of my being. And because I love her, I feel compelled to give her whatever she wants. She'll want for nothing."

"Even having these people turn into Hollows and attack their loved ones?" Ichigo's rage had resurfaced.

"You still on about that? I told you, it was my idea." But then he smiled again. "It's you that she wanted. I merely gave her a new pet to have on our travels."

"But she's the one who threatened me."

Victor rolled his eyes a little. "Ichigo… Whatever she wants she gets. Who am I to tell her 'no'?"

"A good father? Hell knows I've never gotten all the things that I want, but I dealt with it and I never hated them for it!"

"True, but she lived with disappointment all her life. I don't want to have her go through it again. Besides, I was created to please her, not teach her right from wrong. She doesn't know. No one's ever taught her that. And she's never come to me and asked me to. So why would I?"

"So that she knows that this is wrong!"

He chuckled. "Ignorance is bliss, Ichigo."

"She can't keep doing this!" Rukia added from the ground.

Victor chuckled again. "She can if she wants. If it makes her happy, I will let her. She wants to be loved. These Hollows do. She wants to be a star. Her Broadway debut is tomorrow. And what does she care if people get hurt? No one seemed to care when she was. Bullies picked on her all the time and no one asked them to stop. Parents passed her by all the time in favor of another. No one took her in, even when she was on the streets. No one noticed her. When she was hungry, no one gave her food. When she was cold or wet, no one gave her shelter. No one did anything for her, so why the hell would she care about any of them now? Even if she knew that this was wrong, I doubt she would stop. This is her time to shine. If they get hurt, good. Think of it as payback for all the times they hurt her or didn't bother to help her out. Ever think about that?"

Ichigo felt numb. He hadn't thought of that before. Not only was she never taught right from wrong, but she also had no reason to care about others. If she was never shown kindness, how was she supposed to know how to do it herself? Victor and Cedric spent more time pampering her than they did raising her as parents should. Because she was deprived of all sorts of things for most of her life, these two men gave her everything she wanted so she wouldn't have to feel that way again. These two loved her. She never knew love from anyone else. Her real parents abandoned her and no one else seemed to want her. So she had to create a family for herself. That way she would never be discarded again.

Maybe she wasn't so much of a spoiled brat as much as she was an innocent, ignorant child.

In Ichigo's moment of introspection, Victor flashed behind him and removed his earplugs.

"She wants you, Ichigo."

The moment his earplugs were gone, Ichigo heard her voice sing loud and clear as beautiful and flowing as a river.

"EGO sum vox vocis ut dico vestri nomen.

Diligo mihi quod EGO sum vestri.

Dulcis, dulcis sanus.

Meus darling, carus…"

This was a different song. This one was slower, almost like a lullaby. It was making the Hollows feel calm, as well as Ichigo. He knew his Hollow would come any second, but didn't have to strength to stop it.

Ichigo started purring as he listened to her song. "Oh… that feels good…" His body felt strangely warm and his head wonderfully light. This transformation was very pleasant. It felt like he was going to sleep. He could hear his Hollow's voice reach the surface as he blacked out. He was too tired to care.

Ichigo opened his eyes again with a hiss. They were bright yellow and black.

* * *

Oh, what now?


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

Victor greeted him with a smile.

"Welcome back."

The Hollow answered him calmly. "Nice to be back. Ah, I've missed this song. I feel stronger than ever."

"EGO diligo, diligo, diligo vos.

Diligo, diligo, diligo mihi, quoque.

A carmen sic putus.

A carmen sic dulcis.

A carmen sic verus…"

A mask started to form slowly over the left side of Ichigo's face. In Soul Reaper form, there was nothing to hold him back. This time he would go full Hollow.

Victor lead the new Ichigo toward the stage. "Let's go greet our little diva together, shall we?"

He nodded, mask still forming. "I have to get closer. I want to hear her loud and clear. This song is amazing!"

Victor looked at Linnette as if she were a precious jewel doomed to be cast into murky waters and left to rust. "Sing, Linnette Kalliope"

Ichigo's slowly transforming body landed lightly on the stage beside Linnette. He watched her as she sang.

"Permissum mihi conforto vos, meus carus.

Exsisto mei quod diligo mihi.

Diligo mihi, meus carus.

EGO sum vestri…"

Linnette looked at him out of the corner of her eye and smiled. He was watching her.

Ichigo inhaled deeply with a smile and listened to the very end.

"Vos es mei.

Permissum mihi servo vos.

Adveho."

She ended her song the way she had all the others. Simply closing her mouth and turning towards her pet. "How are you feeling, my sweet Ichigo?"

He approached her, still smiling. "Wonderful. More wonderful than I have ever felt before in my life." He cupped a hand over where his heart would be. "Your song touches me here. I can feel it beat. Now I know that I am alive."

She chuckled. "You never have before?"

He shook his head with a sad smile. "No. The only way I knew was in the killing of others. Seeing their blood splatter on the ground, hearing them scream… That's what made me feel alive. After all, Ichigo and I are one in the same, only he was born like a normal human. I came along later exactly as you see me now. I don't really age. I don't have a mother or father or anything. Heh… I'm not even a real Hollow… Not by their standards, at least."

She moved towards him, her hand outstretched. "Is that what you long for? A purpose? A reason to live? A life?"

His smile faded slightly and he looked at her as if she held the answers to all his questions. "I…" He lowered his head with a soft chuckle. "My purpose… My reason to go on was so I could become king and unleash my power on the outside world. I want to kill as many as possible. But I'm repressed. So I suppose my desire… is…"

Seeing Ichigo up on the stage with Linnette, Ikkaku abandoned his fight with a human-Hollow and leapt onto the stage.

In one fluid motion, Ichigo picked Linnette up in his arms and flew her to the other side of the stage. He held her in his arms as if she were a precious piece of glass. He gave Ikkaku a stern look. "What do you think you're doing?"

Ikkaku pulled his long weapon out of the stage and held it in his arms. "What's it look like? I'm trying to knock some sense into that empty head of yours. Just snap out of it already! Quit protecting her and fight back!"

The mask had now spread to Ichigo's nose and lower jaw. In about another minute, it would have spread over to the right side of his face. Ichigo smirked and set Linnette back on the ground and stood in front of her protectively. "I have no intention of doing that. You may not have noticed by now, but I am not your precious Ichigo. His majesty's not here right now. I'm filling in."

Ikkaku pointed his weapon at him. "I know what you are! I was talking to the idiot inside of you! Ichigo, get your ass out here now and fight! What kind of man are you?"

Ichigo started snickering. Then it turned into a chuckle. His laugh grew louder and louder, turning more maniacal every second. Smiling like a madman, he turned towards Linnette. "My dear, can I please play with him for a while?"

She nodded like a child promised a new toy if she were good. "Go right ahead. I'll handle the background music."

Ikkaku blinked and in an instant, Ichigo was upon him, Linnette singing once again. He was slammed into the ground and Ichigo preceded to pummel him into a pulp. Ikkaku fought back, not being one to roll over in a fight. He punched him back in the face and Ichigo bite him, the mask now creeping over his forehead.

"Damn it, stop singing!" Ikkaku screamed at the girl on stage.

Of course he was ignored. She continued singing and Ichigo continued fighting. He fought to his heart's content. He was having a blast. He felt so alive.

Facing off with a Hollow of her own, Rukia looked up at the sound of Linnette's voice. She saw Ichigo facing off against Ikkaku and Victor standing not too far away with a smile on his face. He was enjoying this. Rukia couldn't stand this any longer. They may not have been able to do anything against a human, but Victor wasn't human, now was he? Him and Cedric she could kill. She took up her sword.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" Her blade turned white and she held it in one hand, slicing the air, facing where Victor stood at that moment. "Some no mai, Tsukishiro!"

An ice circle appeared under his feet and in an instant, Victor was incased in ice. He looked like a popsicle where he stood. Rukia didn't let down her guard, though. She knew that wasn't enough to kill him. And just as she figured, Victor easily broke through the ice with a simple turn of his body. His gaze met hers.

"Want to fight me?" He gave a soft chuckle. "Please. You're just a girl. I don't make habits of fighting women. Just lower your weapon and go home."

She tried her attack again. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!"

Victor held up his arm, blocking the attack with the back of his wrist. This time he gave her a stern look. "I'm asking you nicely to go home and leave me be. I would like to watch the show in peace."

Pointing her sword at his head, she answered with the same look in her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere without Ichigo."

Victor's face softened slightly with surprise. "Is that right? Hm… Too bad. He's with us now and I have no intention of giving him back to you when my dear little diva wants him for herself."

"Only because of her song and your threats! He doesn't want to be with you guys and hates being her lapdog! He's only doing it because he has no other choice! He's doing it to protect us! His friends and family!"

Victor gave her a wicked smile. "Oh, indeed?" He started laughing. "Sorry, but I can't understand something like that. I only look out for one person and that's her up on that stage. She gave me life and she can take it away. Since she is my creator, if she dies, I die as well. And since she gave me life, I feel the need to repay her anyway that I can. Besides, she needed me. That's why I'm here. Can you understand that? She created me for a purpose. For a reason."

That's right. Linnette needed someone in her life. She longed for a family. Since she couldn't get one of her own, she created one. She wanted to be loved and taken care of and she got it. She wanted attention and she got that as well. Victor was there to serve his purpose. The same went for Cedric as well. A father and a protector. One was more loving and the other more powerful. One was a better bodyguard and the other was a better father figure. She needed them both. Her creativity gave her the power to do so. But if she could make them up, she would also be able to get rid of them, too, right? And as Victor said, if she was the one to breathe life into them through her imagination, then if she were to die or lose her powers, what was left to keep them here? Linnette really was everything to them. And she was just a little girl who was never taught right from wrong. Of course she didn't see that what she was doing was wrong. And even if she did, why stop? No one was ever nice or thoughtful to her so why would she be to others? For all she knew, the very people standing here were the very same ones who picked on her or never adopted her but choose another. This was payback in that case.

"Miss Soul Reaper." Victor flashed in her face and held her sword's blade in one hand, keeping it still. "I never could or will understand that about Ichigo. Why he would go so far for others who don't even know about his actions. Why he does it for people who aren't family. People who aren't even his closest friends. People he doesn't even know. Why try so hard to protect people who are complete strangers to you? I don't understand it. Why? If not for personal gain or glory, why?"

"Because that's the kind of person Ichigo is." Rukia stared into Victor's eye the whole time that she spoke. "Ichigo does it because it's the right thing to do. Because it's in his blood. Because he knows that someone out there is a loved one, maybe not to him but to someone. So many people would just step aside and not do anything, so he has to be the one to do it! He sacrifices so much for others because that's the kind of person he is! He'll pay any price. Even for me! He sacrificed so much to try to save me. Even after I told him not to and even when I resigned myself to death, he kept showing up and telling me to live. And suddenly I felt the desire to live once more. I felt hope again. And it's all because he was fighting so hard to save me, even when I didn't have to strength to save myself! And he did it! He fought so hard to save me! And he did the same for Orihime! And for his friends and for his family! So if he's willing to fight so much and so hard for others, the least I can do is the same for him! I won't give up because he never did! I don't care what you say! I'm bringing him back home! I'm going to take him with me! This is my chance to save Ichigo the way he did me! I'll never give up! Not if that's the-"

Victor pulled her sword from her hand and threw it into the air over treetops, cutting her off. "Face it, girl. You'll die if you do that. We're keeping him like it or not." He backhanded her across the face so hard it sent her flying several yards down in the same direction he had sent her sword.

Cedric flashed behind Victor soundlessly. "Well?"

Victor turned. "She'll be back. She's a fighter, this one. She's not going to give up even if she knows that it's hopeless."

"Then let me kill her!"

"No, no." Victor held up a hand. "There's no need for that yet. Perhaps if she does return, we can have her fight our dear Ichigo. Maybe that will get the message across that he's gone."

Cedric looked in the direction he had sent Rukia and then back. "If you're sure that's the case…"

"Besides…" Victor looked up at Linnette on stage with a loving smile. "Isn't she glorious tonight? Soon the whole world will know her name. She'll be loved by more than just us. She'll be adored by the whole world. My sweet little diva. My rising star."

X

Rukia staggered around looking for her weapon. That impact had really scrambled her insides by the feel of things. Despite Victor's lanky form, he was very powerful. He wasn't one to take lightly. She discovered her sword by the entrance and went to retrieve it. As she did, she saw someone in a dark green coat standing over it, cane in one hand, bag in the other.

"Urahara!"

"Yup, that's me," he smiled. Then he got serious again. "I got it finished. I was trying to make a vapor out of it so we could cure them all at once but that didn't work out very well."

"Why, what happened?"

"Well…" Kisuke drawled. "It cured them halfway. See, I tested it out on Jinta and it only cured him mentally, not physically. So that was a bust. I would have rather had it the other way around."

"Very true," Rukia thought aloud. "If these humans were only cured mentally then it would send them into a panic once they saw their transformations. And if they tried to seek help from someone, they could risk being killed on sight, while fully aware of what's happening. So I guess this means that you didn't figure out a cure."

"Nope, I just said that the vapor was a failure. I have a cure." Kisuke reached into the bag and pulled out a handful of tiny darts. "These have the cure in them. I used it on Jinta and it worked perfectly. And the song no longer has any effect on him whatsoever. Just hit the Hollows with this and the humans will returned to normal. Try to hit Hitsugaya and Yumichika first, though, so they can help us out."

"Great!" She reached for the darts.

Kisuke pulled them away at the last second. "But don't waste any on Ichigo. They won't cure him. He's already a Vizard. It'll have no effect on those who are already Hollow. This will only cure the serum that was in the candy they ate."

Rukia's heart sank slightly at this, but it was better than nothing. The humans came first. She took a handful of darts.

X

A cameraman trying to capture everything on film hid behind a trailer. He was an easy target for a hungry Yumichika. Licking his white mask, he moved in for the kill. The man heard his hiss and turned. Upon seeing the huge Hollow behind him, the man screamed and bolted. Roaring, Yumichika chased after him, crushing the camera under his feet. The man kicked open a trailer door and jumped inside. Yumichika hunted him down and started clawing at the door with his massive claws. Frustrated that he could not get to the food inside, he roared and started bashing his head against the door.

Seeing him distracted, Rukia snuck up behind him and unloaded a dart into his back.

He reeled back howling and fell to the ground like a wounded animal. Rukia watched him slowly shrink back to normal, his mask completely gone. She nudged him with her foot and heard him give a soft moan. He wa out cold, but otherwise fine.

"What did you do to him?" Rangiku stood behind her, having seen the whole thing.

Rukia handed her a handful of darts. "I got these from Urahara. They're the antidote. Just stick them with these and they'll return to normal. I'm going to find Ichigo."

As she bolted from the scene, a familiar voice called out to her.

"My, my, aren't we being optimistic..?"

She turned and saw Victor sitting on top of an overturned trailer, still looking quite entertained. She took out her sword and pointed it at him.

His smile spread. "You know that won't work. Give it up, girl. You can't kill me if I'm not real."

Without a word, she leapt forward. In a flash, he was gone, appearing behind her silently. She had predicted this and spun around, sword slicing into his coat. Her attack would have drawn blood, but with Victor, the blade simply bounced off.

"I keep telling you that it's pointless to attack me. You'll never land a blow even if I let you. I have no blood to shed."

"I will bring Ichigo back!" her tone was hard and cold, a murderous look in her eyes.

"Still on about that, huh?" Victor started chuckling. "We shall see about that."

Rukia swung back, both hands on her weapon. Victor easily diverted the attack with a flick of his wrist, sliding his own hand towards Rukia's chest. Now she was on the defensive. If she didn't do something, he would send her flaying once again. For a moment their attacks locked and with a yell, Rukia threw Victor back. He landed lightly and Rukia prepared to charge again. Again, as Victor leapt into the air, Rukia's sword met nothing but air.

"My dear, you're hopeless in more ways than one!" Victor's voice resounded from the air above.

Their attacks clashed in midair. Sparks flew as the two passed each other. Victor was now behind her. Rukia turned to met him in the air, her blade out to shield her body. She struggled to keep her footing as the taller man slammed into her tiny body. She let out a yell as she was thrown back by the force of the blow.

Victor was laughing again. He sounded like a diplomatic gentleman who had just herd an amusing joke at a rich man's party. He didn't sound very evil at all. "My dear miss Soul Reaper. You kid yourself."

As the smoke settled, she saw him raise his hand above his head as if about to strike her with an invisible hammer.

"Ichigo Kurosaki is ours! You Can't have him!"

Ichigo slammed his fist into Ikkaku's neck, crushing his windpipe. Such a blow would have killed or seriously injured a normal human being, but Ikkaku survived thanks to being a Soul Reaper. But pinned under the Hollowfying Ichigo would take his life sooner or later. He wouldn't survive for much longer at this rate. Ichigo's hand was starting to turn white and his nails were slowly transforming into claws.

"Ichigo, snap out of it already!" Ikkaku shouted hoarsely. "Don't let her do this to you!"

The Hollow answered with a smile. "I don't think you understand, Reaper…" He brought his face closer. "I like her. A lot. I'm happy to say that I am hers. Why would I harm the one who can free me?"

Ikkaku snorted. "A real Hollow would never be willing to submit to a human so easily."

He laughed. "But why would I not? Why wouldn't I like her and be willing to serve? She gives me what I want. When she sings, I'm free to do as I please. Plus, King can't butt in when I'm having fun. Not only that, but I like how I feel when she sings. Now why would I do anything to the girl responsible for all this? Why risk her getting hurt or worse? I'm grateful. I'm happy. Why is that so hard for you to understand?" He raised his clawed hand. "It's a fair exchange. Everybody's happy. And I finally get to live!"

Still on a rampage of his own, Hitsugaya slammed into the corner of the stage, whipping a support beam with his tail. There was a cranking noise as the metal shifted and started to break apart. Hitsugaya looked around for humans to eat, but they were all gone. Many of the remaining humans had fled the scene with their lives while others found hiding places under trucks or behind trees a good distance away. There were almost none left for him to feast upon. He had to find whatever food he could before the other Hollows got a hold of it as well. He didn't want to have to fight for his meal.

"Captain!"

He looked down and saw the same woman with long wavy hair and ample bosom showing from her loose black kimono. It was Rangiku, though Hitsugaya had long forgotten that. To him, she was only food. He turned, hissing and jumped towards her, mouth agape. She whipped out a dart and sent it flying into his neck. He let out a screech and rolled back into the stage behind him.

Still on stage, singing, Linnette didn't have time to notice Hitsugaya's fall until it was too late.

A shockwave billowed through the stage. Giant cracks opened in the stage floor, lights and rubble raining down from the sky. The stage was slowly falling apart. Linnette flew backwards and disappeared among the falling debris. She had nowhere to retreat. She pressed her hands over her mouth to block out the dust and smoke. She looked around for Ichigo.

Distracted by the sound, Ichigo's orange head looked up. He spotted his beloved songstress in peril and quickly abandoned his fight with Ikkaku to save her. To avoid the dust cloud, he jumped onto the long black metal bar, supporting the lights. He called out her name.

"Linnette!"

She turned towards the sound as Ichigo dove down from the scaffolding, bringing a chunk of metal with him. She reached for him and Ichigo picked her up in his arms, carrying her away from the destruction. Once safely away, he knelt to the ground with her still tucked in his arms protectively.

"Are you alright?"

She looked up into his face and wasn't at all shocked by his appearance. The mask had grown since the last time she had laid eyes on him. It was nearly complete. Only a tiny space where his mouth was remained. Everything else was covered by a white mask. Even his skin was changing to a pale white color. His orange hair was getting longer, too.

"I'm fine," she answered, hugging him.

His hard body melted at her touch. "Linnette…" His voice was changing, too. "I have to confess something to you."

"What is it?"

He set her down in the grass and looked at her, one hand in her shoulder, the other holding her small hand in his. "I've never felt like this before. This strange feeling is compelling me to do things I've never done before. I don't know how much longer I can resist it. I… I feel like…"

"Yes?" She moved closer to him.

Looking perplexed as well as curtain, he moved in. "I want to try this for the first time ever. Let me kiss you."

She smiled. "You're giving me my first kiss?"

"Yes," he breathed.

She had grown up watching movies where this happened. A kiss. She didn't understand much about it, but the meaning to her was clear as day. A kiss meant a happy everafter. That's what a kiss meant to her. Not true love or anything like that. It meant that she would be happy forever. It meant that Ichigo would never leave her. As sudden as this was, she wasn't about to pass it up.

Without another word, she accepted his white mouth. Their lips connected.

This… didn't feel right. She had never had a kiss before, but she was sure that it wasn't supposed to feel like this. It… It hurt. It really hurt. It felt like kissing a mound of thistles. But then the pain changed to feeling more like a bed of needles. It intensified and got worse and worse. Her body felt hot as if he were burning her with an iron. She pushed against his chest, trying to get him off. But he wouldn't budge. She started screaming into his mouth to get him away, but her cries were muffled by his lips.

Then the same thing started to happen to Ichigo. When the pain became too great, he leapt away from her with a yelp. She lay in the grass, holding her mouth in agony. But Ichigo was holding his head.

"What… what's happening to me?" Ichigo's masked was crumbling away right before his eyes. His skin was returning to its normal color. He was reverting back. The Hollow in him was disappearing. "No… No! NO! I don't want to go back! Not yet! Not now! Not ever! No! Stop! Please, don't make me!" He reached out for Linnette. "Sing! Sing for me! Just once more! Sing again! Sing your song, please!"

Watching him vanish before her eyes was enough of a reason for her to bring him back. She opened her mouth and a gargled sound came out. "Wha… what..?" She tried again only to have the same thing happen again.

She had lost her voice.

Victor's attack froze in mid-strike and stared at his disappearing hand. "What… what's this?" He gasped and looked around at the Hollows. They were all howling as if as a lament to their own fate. "N- no. No!"

Rukia watched as Victor slowly started to vanish before her very eyes.

Cedric was screaming as his own demise was taking place in front of the stage. He gripped his vanishing arm as if to stop the inevitable from happening. He reached out for the stage only to have his hand vanish into nothing. He cried out his final anguish and was gone from sight.

Victor looked at the girl on the ground by Ichigo and smiled a sad smile, knowing that this was the end. "Good-bye, my dear…" He kept his eye on her to the very end. His body disintegrated, leaving no trace behind.

The two servants were gone.

* * *

The next one is the last one. Please review! ^-^


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

The darkness left Ichigo's eyes as he slumped over, Hollow fading away. Linnette scooted away from him in a mixture of fear and shock. Her voice would not work. Her song was dead. She had lost her singing power. But why? And how?

"Ichigo? Ichigo, where are you?"

Linnette picked herself up and ran off into the park joining the other fleeing humans. Without her song or her protectors, she was powerless and defenseless. There was no longer a reason for her to stay.

Rukia discovered Ichigo slumped on his knees in the grass. She rushed over and pulled him up. She tapped his face lightly, trying to wake him. But he wasn't out. Just stunned. Her shaking brought him around and Ichigo sprang to his senses with a gasp. He looked wildly around in a panic.

"What happened? Where's the girl? And Victor? My earplugs. Where..? Why..? What's going on?"

Rukia tried to calm him, though she wasn't sure of what just happened either. "It's over, Ichigo. Linnette's song's finally stopped."

Ichigo looked around and saw the Hollows one by one slowly return to human form, laying sprawled across the ground. The stage was caved in and there were no signs of Linnette or her bodyguards. The battle was over, though Ichigo was unsure how.

"I went Hollow didn't I? What did I do?"

Rukia smiled weakly. "Nothing."

"Tell me the truth."

She hesitated. "You only picked a fight with Ikkaku. Other than that you were pretty docile."

"Really?" He wasn't looking at her.

"Yeah."

He let out a sigh.

"Rukia!" Rangiku came carrying Hitsugaya on her back. He was out like a light and completely Hollow-free. Ikkaku came not far behind, helping Yumichika walk with an arm around his body. "What just happened? All the humans are back to normal again."

"Yeah, it's because of the darts."

She shook her head. "No, I only managed to inject half of them with the antidote. There's no reason why the others would be cured unless…"

They heard a car horn honk and saw Kisuke come crashing through the park gates with his van. The sliding door opened. "Get in, quick!" he yelled from inside.

Everyone hurried inside, but Rukia looked back at the humans. "But what about..?"

"Don't worry about it." Kisuke Threw something out the window. "The park's completely sealed off. No human was able to escape this area who were here when the concert started. All the cameras were destroyed. So this thing should take care of the rest."

The moment the object he threw made contact with the ground, it started smoking. Soon the air was filled with white and yellow smoke.

"That will erase their memories?"

"Naturally." He put the van in drive and sped away with everyone inside, buckled in or not. "It's very powerful. No one will remember what happened here tonight. There's no proof. The news media will probably think that this was just a rave gone bad and write a story on that. And with no evidence, that's what the public will believe."

"That's good."

Kisuke whipped around corners on two wheels, zipping between buses, taxis and other cars.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." He made another sharp turn causing his passengers to slam against the side wall. "Sorry."

"You're driving like a maniac!" Ikkaku shouted, massaging the bump on his head.

"I'm trying to beat the traffic out here. New York is a madhouse." He made another sharp turn to the right. A passing taxi honked its horn, but Kisuke ignored it. He increased speed trying to beat an upcoming traffic light. He passed under the yellow light just as it turned red and he let out a cheer, patting himself on the back. "Yes! We'll make it in no time at this rate."

"Where are we going?" Rukia repeated.

Kisuke turned another corner sharply. By now, traffic had thinned out a bit, allowing him to drive a little less erratically. "I'm trying to make it to the dock at a certain time. Tessai is meeting us there with a fast way home. But it won't be there forever. And we have to beat the evening traffic through that area and any other humans so we won't be seen taking off."

As they passed under streetlights, Rukia noticed that this street had almost no traffic whatsoever. This would be a good place to make a getaway without having to worry about anyone spotting them. She smashed her forehead against the glass as he made another sharp turn and slammed on the brakes, coming to a rather uneasy stop. The doors flew open and everyone tumbled out, happy to be on solid ground once again. Yumichika even kissed the cold hard cement in his joy.

Kisuke was the last one out, pumping his fist in the air triumphantly. "So how'd I do?"

"Your driving needs work."

Tessai flagged them over to where the dock was. Rukia shivered in the sudden cold air and looked out at the dark water. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Where's this getaway thing you were talking about?"

Tessai pointed under the dock to what looked like a white raft. "I had it all prepared for you, sir."

"Nice work," Kisuke commended him. He stepped closer to examine it. "Very good. It should hold us all for the journey home. Ok, everyone, get on."

Everyone stepped carefully onto the raft. With no shore and a steep concrete wall in its place, the group had no choice but to jumped onto it from where they stood. They all landed safely on the raft and Kisuke started it up. As it turned out, this raft wasn't meant for the water. It was meant for the sky. He tugged a cord by the front of the raft and it started to rise above the water and into the sky. So this was why he wanted to do this at a time when no humans would be around to see them take off.

"But won't they spot us from the ground?" Ichigo asked.

"Nope. This device makes it so anyone who's touching it becomes invisible to human eyes. No one can see us." Kisuke turned the sky raft around and they started to climb higher into the sky.

From the ground, a girl looked up and saw a strange flying device climbing into the air from between the trees. She also noticed a boy with orange hair just before disappearing behind the clouds. She tried to call out to him with a song, but couldn't. So instead, she watched sadly as he left her far behind. "Ichigo…" Her eyes started to fill with tears. She knelt to the ground and started to weep. "Please don't leave me all alone like this. I… I don't have anyone else. Victor… Cedric… Why? Why did you leave me here? What am I supposed to do now?"

Ichigo turned, looking back at the ground as the large city started to vanish before his eyes. He thought about the girl he had come to know and hate so much. But at the same time, he could still forgive her somehow. Somehow, he understood why she did what she did. It really wasn't all her fault. She was still at fault, of course, but not all of this was her doing. It was Victor's job as her adopted father to teach her right from wrong and how to be a good person. She was only a child after all. They weren't born knowing. She had to be taught. And the same went for Cedric as well. And all those people who hurt her in the past, all the people she had grown up with; it was no wonder why she turned out the way that she did. And after being discarded so many times before, perhaps that was why she refused to let things go. Why she needed people around. She was starved for attention and love. She needed to be around people and told that she was wanted after all. The reason for her brattiness and her childishness and her inability to see that what she was doing was a bad thing for everyone including herself was all so clear to him now. She really wasn't evil. Just a very ignorant girl who was brought up the wrong way.

"Ichigo, are you ok?" Rukia was looking at him.

He nodded weakly. "Yeah. I'm ok."

"You have a strange look on your face."

"I'm just tired." And that was the truth. He hadn't had much sleep at all on his journey and he was exhausted from everything else that had happened this week, including tonight's events.

Rukia didn't argue. She understood. "You should rest. It will be a while before we're back home."

He gave her a tired look, but declined. "I'm fine. I can rest like this." He sat beside her and looked up at the stars. There were so many out tonight. It was beautiful.

Their journey went on for a while. After being airborne for 15 minutes, Hitsugaya's body started to move in his lieutenant's arms. He looked around groggy and a bit confused. But he figured out his situation rather quickly and looked up at Rangiku. "What'd I miss?"

She smiled and patted his head. "Not much. I'm just glad you're back. I was a bit worried about you. It took you a while to wake up."

He took her hand off his head. "Don't pat my head. I hate that."

Not soon after, Ichigo's body fell forward and he landed face-first on the raft.

"Ichi-" Rukia stopped herself once she figured out what had happened. Ichigo couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. The peaceful night air, the gentle breeze, the smell of the sea and the rhythmic rocking of the raft had lulled him to sleep at last. He lay beside Rukia, arms tucked to his chest, snoring softly. She allowed herself to smile at this. Sometimes she forgot just how human he was. He pushed himself and pushed himself, but he was only human. He couldn't keep it up forever.

"Kisuke, there's something I don't get," Rangiku said quietly so as not to wake the sleeping substitute. "Why did all those people return to normal when they did? And what about Ichigo? I thought he had gone Hollow. So why did he changed back? And whatever happened to those two men we saw with that girl? And where is she now?"

"I saw Victor vanish with my own eyes," Rukia explained. "He mentioned that it was Linnette who created him from her talent. Her creativity. But if that's true, then that must mean that something had happened to her to make him disappear."

Kisuke steered the raft toward their destination, thinking. After a while, he turned to give them an answer. "First of all, yes, she does have powers. Though it's uncertain how she acquired them. But power is something that is easily lost."

"Are you saying that her powers are gone?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. It's possible. My guess is that she got too close to a Hollow and that's what caused her to lose her powers. I can't really explain it. It's just a theory based off the fact that her powers only effect Hollows and people with Hollow-like powers. I suppose that the reason why those men are gone is because her powers no longer exist. Therefore, there was nothing keeping them in this world anymore."

"Then what happened to her?"

He shrugged. "Can't say."

"But what's going to happen to her now? Those two were her only family. Without them…" Rukia trailed off unable to finish.

Kisuke shrugged again. "Couldn't tell you. She's probably a nothing again. Back to the way things were before her powers developed."

"Oh." Rukia couldn't help but feel sad about it. She was only a child after all. Even she had been in her position before. Alone and without a family, forced to live among adults who either overlooked you or hurt you. Even she knew what it was like to be unwanted.

"Why do you look so sad? Wasn't she the bad guy?"

"But she was only a child," Rukia said. "She didn't know any better. And the two raising her didn't bother to teacher her right from wrong. Only soiled her rotten and didn't want her to feel disappointed ever again. They felt that laying down rules would upset her and make her feel restrained so they did away with them and never taught her. It's not that I'm defending her, but I just can't see her as intentionally hurting people. Besides, it was Victor who came up with the candy idea. She had nothing to do with it."

"Yeah, but who created him? She must have given him the knowledge to know how to do it."

"Not necessarily," Kisuke interrupted. "Only half of what she created was intentional. Everything else was subconscious. She subconsciously must have wanted everyone to love her the way the Hollows seemed to and that desire was beamed into Victor. So he took it upon himself to do just that. They act according to her will, verbal or not. Maybe that's why they were able to beat the danger every time Linnette stood in harm's way. It was her desire to be safe and for them to protect her. Subconsciously she must have also wanted them to be unstoppable and superhuman. She never wished for that, but the desire was in her heart. Creativity is a strange thing. It has a way of coming out whether it be conscious or unconscious."

"So she may not have wanted any of this to truly happen?"

"She was just looking for attention anyway she could."

Ichigo shifted with a sigh and curled up into a ball, sleeping soundly, unaware of the tension going on around him. For the first time this week, he was able to sleep peacefully and deeply. He couldn't sleep before. But now rest came so easily when he was surrounded by his friends. He felt safe. He was happy. He was home.

From deep within Ichigo's mind, Zangetsu walked across the buildings and stumbled upon his master's body. He looked down at it calmly. Ichigo was asleep alright. In a deep, blissful sleep. He hadn't slept this well for a long time. The Zanpakuto cast his gaze to the one sleeping beside him. Mirroring his image in every possible way aside from his opposite coloration, Ichigo's Hollow self lay beside him, also asleep. They looked like twins, sleeping side by side the way they were. This had never happened before and it even took Zangetsu by surprise.

"Well, isn't this a sight? How odd…" He stepped beside the white Ichigo and looked him in the face. "I've never seen you like this before. So calm… But at the same time, so sad." He stood up and looked back at Ichigo. "But you look calm and happy. Truly at peace."

He started to walk away, then looked back. His eyes were on Ichigo's white twin.

"I wonder if you will hold feeling after this ordeal. I doubt it. Hollows have a limited emotion. I'm surprised that you were able to even feel as much as you did. But…" he sighed. "This is for the best, I suppose."

The sky around him was clear.

X

The next time Ichigo opened his eyes, he was back in his own house staring up at his ceiling. He sat up slowly, wondering how he got here. "My room..?"

"Yup. You're home." He turned and saw Rukia sitting in his window. "Morning," she waved.

He blinked and took another look around. Everything seemed normal. "Was that all a dream?"

"Nah. It really happened." Rukia moved to the other side of his room and took a seat next to him at his desk. "We brought you back home last night. You were so tired we didn't have the heart to wake you. Your family was a bit worried but they were relieved when they saw you sleeping in your own bed. They're glad to see you back home safe and sound, Ichigo."

He was home. Home at last. He had wanted this so much. He wanted to be away from Linnette and those other two. He wanted his old life back. And now he got it. He had left without taking anything with him. He had left all those new outfits behind. Everything they had given to him was gone. Everything was left back in the city. But that suited him just fine. He didn't want to keep the stuff given to him by them. It was an ill reminder. It felt right leaving it all behind.

And her as well.

His next question didn't surprise her in the slightest. "What happened to Linnette? And what about the Hollows and her song? What happened exactly?"

She tilted back in her seat. "From the information we gathered, everyone's cured. Everyone who was infected with that virus is now cured and that includes the people here as well. Everyone's back to normal and her song no longer has an effect on anyone. Not even Vizards."

This surprised him a great deal.

"Yeah, it no longer works on anyone. Not even Hollows. As it turns out, her powers were not gone, just neutralized. She can still see spirits and Hollows. But her powers are no longer in effect. Her voice is ruined. She can't sing anymore."

"Oh, I see." Ichigo sounded disappointed somehow. "But why is that?"

"Well…" she gave a soft chuckle, both amused and a bit nervous. "Apparently, you and Linnette shared a kiss. Or rather your Hollow self did."

"Wh- what?"

"Yup. You two lip-locked. But ironically, that's what seemed to have taken away her powers. Urahara had a theory that if Hollows were effected by her song, then she in turn could be effected by them as well just in different ways. After all, she's never made contact with them before. It's possible that by making physical contact the way you did took away her power."

"But why then and not before? I've touched her before."

"Yeah, but you weren't Hollow then, were you?" When he said nothing, she went on. "You were a Soul Reaper at the time. She sang and you started to turn. You were technically a Hollow then so… But then again, it's only a theory. It's a good one, I have to admit. But there's really no evidence to support it aside from coincidence."

"What about the others?"

"Since her powers no longer work, no one will ever be effected again. Not even through CD or computer. Hitsugaya and the others went back and called the mission a success. No one else knows about the Hollowfication. We'd like to keep it that way, too. As for Linnette and her two bodyguards, they vanished when her song finally stopped forever. She's still out there somewhere, though. But she's no longer a threat so it doesn't matter."

"It does. It does matter." Ichigo drew an arm around his raised knee, thinking. "She was only a child. No one taught her anything. The two people who were with her are now gone. Now she has no one to take care of her. She's back to being homeless in a big city with no one to look after her. She has no money, no food, no way to get anywhere. She needed them. Now what's going to happen to her?"

"She might just go to a shelter or something, Ichigo."

The story still felt incomplete to him, though. All this time he had been hating her and trying to hurt her for his own reasons when actually he should have just tried to sit down and talk to her. She might have learned something. She might have turned out better.

Having nothing more to say, Rukia patted his shoulder and left for the Soul Society.

However, though Rukia did have something to say, she thought it was best not to say anything to him. But the truth was that there was always a way for Linnette to get her powers back. Maybe it wasn't her voice itself or her song, but her heart. Victor said that she had longed for a family. That's why he came. It was he desire. Her heart's wish. Her longing that did it. Maybe it was her heart's doing all along. But there was really no way of knowing ofr sure.

After she left, Ichigo closed his eyes again and escaped into his inner world.

"Hey, King…" came a familiar hiss. "What brings you here so soon?"

Ichigo faced his Hollow without a sword in hand. This visit didn't involve a fight. "Hey."

"Oh, so formal… What brings you here, your majesty?"

He seemed like his old Hollow self once again. Did this whole Linnette thing have any effect on him at all? "Hey, how are you doing anyway?"

His white face twisted into one of confusion. "How am I doing? What's that supposed to mean?"

He was so in love with her before. Why didn't he act it now? "What I mean is… Let's see, how do I put this? Um… I just thought you'd be upset is all."

"About what?"

"About her."

"Her who?"

"About Linnette."

"Linnette?" His Hollow pondered for a minute after hearing the name. "Who's that?"

"You know. Linnette."

"Linnette who? Am I supposed to know who that is or something?"

He didn't remember. Why didn't he remember? "You don't know who she is? But you were-"

"I was what?"

There was no point in going on. He clearly didn't remember.

"It's fine, Ichigo." This time it was Zangetsu. He stood a short distance away, watching the two of them from another building. "After her powers vanished and the kiss took its toll, he and every other Hollow out there were freed from their spells. None of them remember."

"What are you babbling about, old man?" His Hollow was getting frustrated by being kept out of the loop. "What's going on here?"

"It's nothing." Zangetsu looked up at the clear sky of Ichigo's mind. "Nothing at all."

After his Hollow lost interest, Ichigo walked over to where Zangetsu stood. "But what's going to happen with her? Are her powers lost forever?"

"Lost, yes. But things that are lost can always come back to us. Remember that, Ichigo. It's a part of who you are. A part of yourself. Something tells me that in a time of great need, she'll find the strength that she needs. She's young, after all. She has a lot of growing up to do. It will just take a bit longer since there's no one around to teach her. But have faith. Who knows? She may have what it takes to become a Soul Reaper some day."

"That's a scary thought," Ichigo smiled. "I hope she'll be ok, though. And who knows? Maybe the next time, things will turn out better. Maybe this is just the kind of thing that she needs."

"Perhaps…"

X

Her career was over and the rising star had plummeted back down to earth. She was forced to join the regular people once more. And once more, she found herself utterly alone, staring out the window. She didn't have a nice plush bed or a fancy hotel room to sleep in. Instead, she had a small cot, only big enough for one. And in place of gourmet food, she was forced to settle for the cheapest kinds found in a can and served at room temperature. Her room was filled with cobwebs and she had to share it with other humans and even a few hundred bugs. It was dark and dank and always cold. She was surrounded by smaller children who either thought she was funny looking, wanted to play or would tackle and kick her whenever they had a chance. The other older girls there were unbelievably catty and made fun of her at every turn. But this was the only spare room they had at the shelter. It was just like being at the orphanage all over again, only there were less kids here and she slept on a cot rather than a single bed.

Linnette had no money and nowhere to go. Her only family was long gone. And her 'pet' had run off. She wanted Ichigo to come back. She wanted him. And not just because he was affected by her song. It was because he was real. Ichigo was a real person. Not someone she had made up.

Why was it that she could only get along with people she created? Why were they the only ones who loved her? Ichigo was different. He wasn't afraid to tell her how he felt, even when he knew the risk. He was real. They were not. But all these people she had grown up with and the people here now as well, they were all so very mean to her. Even when she had done nothing to them, they hated her. No one ever paid attention to her. Not with out help.

How? How could she be better? How could she make real friends? She wanted to learn how. How could she be loved without forcing it upon them?

Maybe she could try Ichigo's way. He had told her a possible way. A way she had never tried before. Rather than control, she could... But how? She was never taught how. She was never shown the way. She needed help. She needed someone to show her. Not someone she _wanted _but someone she _needed_.

Every night since she had watched Ichigo leave her side, she had looked up at the sky and wished for help. She wished hard. She wished for someone to come and teach her. She wanted to learn the right way so no one would ever leave her again. She didn't want to get hurt anymore. She wanted to be loved.

That's all she truly wanted. And she was willing to even try a different way to do it. This time it would be right. But how? Who would show her? Who would teach her?

It seemed hopeless.

_Please… help me… Please_… She buried her face in her arms and cried. _Please! _

Then she felt someone put a hand on her back. This gentle rubbing was soothing and familiar.

"Don't cry, my dear… My poor, sweet little diva…"

* * *

THE END!

How was it? Again, I tried to do something a little different. This was wasn't as funny as some of my other fics, but hey. I wanted to do an adventure that involved Hollow Ichigo. Please tell me what you think, but please be nice and no flames. Again, first time writing a story like this. Thank you all for reading and please review! ^-^

Oh, and after this, I'm posting up the lyrics to her songs for those who don't know latin. Yay, for translations!


	13. lyrics and translations

**First Song:**

Nothing remains,

Only crimson death,

My song prevails,

I am searching for you, my love.

Cope with it all,

Bask in the night,

Hear my song,

And love me.

I am the voice,

Of love that cannot live,

Yet it never dies!

Let me take you!

Let me possess you!

Do as I say.

You are mine!

_nusquam somes_

_tantum crimen nex_

_meus carmen increbresco_

_EGO sum questio vobis , meus diligo._

_Cope per is totus_

_Alveus in nox noctis_

_Audite meus carmen_

_Quod diligo mihi._

_EGO sum vox vocis_

_of diligo ut cannot ago_  
_etiamnunc is nunquam dies!_

_Permissum mihi take vos!_

_Permissum mihi usus vos!_

_Operor ut Inquam._  
_vos es mei!_

**Second Song:**

I am the voice that calls your name.

Love me and I am yours.

Sweet, sweet sound.

My darling, dear.

I love, love, love you.

Love, love, love me, too.

A song so pure.

A song so sweet.

A song so true.

Let me soothe you, my dear.

Be mine and love me.

Love me, my dear.

I am yours.

You are mine.

Let me keep you.

Come.

_EGO sum vox vocis ut dico vestri nomen._

_Diligo mihi quod EGO sum vestri._

_Dulcis, dulcis sanus._

_Meus darling, carus._

_EGO diligo, diligo, diligo vos._

_Diligo, diligo, diligo mihi, quoque._

_A carmen sic putus._

_A carmen sic dulcis._

_A carmen sic verus._

_Permissum mihi conforto vos, meus carus._

_Exsisto mei quod diligo mihi._

_Diligo mihi, meus carus._

_EGO sum vestri._

_Vos es mei._

_Permissum mihi servo vos._

_Adveho._


End file.
